


The Man In The Red Coat

by 4ever_Rewritten



Category: Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X & Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy X-2
Genre: A LOT of world building., But mostly Terra making things worse, Don't trust Terra's memories, F/M, It goes through the game but adds so much more, Like how was Lenne a Summoner before Sin if Yunalesca was creating Aeons?, Metaphysical theories, Not the one from the other Final Fantasy game, Slow Burn, Terra is an OC, The romance thing is literally a tiny piece of it., This tries to explain Aeons before Sin, Unreliable Narrator, as in you could believe this is one sided on Terra's part, but the last few chapters proves it's not, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2018-12-10 11:43:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 45,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11690949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4ever_Rewritten/pseuds/4ever_Rewritten
Summary: Legend states that before Sin there were sixteen Aeons scattered across Spira, yet now Yevon only teaches of five. To aid Yuna to defeat Sin, the Fayth of the forgotten Aeons woke a dreamer who knew where to find them. Unfortunately, Terra seemed only to make the situation worse.Cross-posted from ff.net





	1. The Man in the Red Coat

I sighed when the large clock built into the building across the street chimed as eight o'clock rolled around. He was two hours late. Two hours! I was tempted to wait another hour, just in case, but I knew better. If he was this late, he probably wasn't going to come. Besides, my stomach felt like it was about to eat itself if I didn't feed it soon.

_'He's probably just too busy,'_ I thought with another sigh as I slid off the half-wall separating the public sidewalk and one of the few green parks in Zanarkand. I paused as my feet slammed against the pavement before I looked back up at the large clock face. It's not like this was an official…whatever. I wasn't even sure if we were really friends, or just good acquaintances that happened to share dinner every week. Still, I couldn't help but worry. He always was here, six o'clock every Thursday...unless he became sidetracked, but even then the latest he had ever been was ten minutes.

The sky gave a warning rumble, reminding me of the storm trying to roll in. Zanarkand was one of the few cities known for its storms, next to the Djose Plains, of course. I looked away from the clock and began walking towards my home district, digging my hands in my loose pants, my fingers playing with the lint and five-gil coin inside. Five-gil wasn't going to pay for much; it had been his turn to buy.

I kept walking past the restaurants, trying not to look inside at the happy patrons. I was hungry enough as it was; I didn't need the sight of delicious food to make me even more miserable. The ringing of a bell caught my attention, and out of reflex I looked over to the window beside me where a happy couple was leaning against one another, laughing about something before the brown haired man, probably a blitzball player from the way he was dressed, scooped something with a spoon and fed his girlfriend. The laughing died away as the pair shared a look, and I forced myself to look away and continue walking before they kissed.

I felt both embarrassed and a bit saddened. Even though I had to put up with Lenne and Shuyin making googly eyes at one another all the time, and Yunalesca and her surprisingly decent husband making out every chance they got, I wasn't desensitized enough to stop a blush of embarrassment of seeing such acts of PDA. But it was the fact that I was sad that bothered me. 

We...weren't like that, and would never be like that. He was quiet most of the time, not exactly silent, just… quiet. He didn't joke, but gave a deep chuckle when I did. His quips were usually full of sarcasm and pessimism that made me laugh and try my hardest to cheer him up. I never did, of course. In fact, I couldn't imagine him happy and cheery anyways. Though, on a rare occasion, I caught a smile behind that high collar of his once in awhile, usually when I did something childish, or attempted a simple spell, and bemoaning dramatically about my lack of magic, unlike my sister. 

Lenore could summon a wall of flames that burned anything, but I could only just manage small flicker of flame that could barely light a candle.

_"You shouldn't force yourself do what you are incapable of doing,"_ he told me once after I bemoaned about being horrible at my lessons. _"So, magic isn't your strong suit. Find what is."_

_"Annoying and mooching off old men?"_ I had teased, and he just graced me with a small smile before ordering two Besaidian dishes from the street vendor.

Really, he wasn't old-maybe in his mid thirties. But he acted kind of like my grandpa, who fought in the last Machina-Summoner war between Bevelle and Zanarkand. There wasn't really a way to describe it, he just seemed _old,_ as if his spirit was older than his body. Maybe that's what they mean when people say so-and-so is an 'old soul.'

That and he did have this rather awesome and admittingly attractive brush of grey in his otherwise black hair. I teased him endlessly about it, of course, but I did secretly admire it. It made him stand out, along with that large dark scar across his right eye that he tried to hide it behind his sunglasses. And who knew how far it traveled below that high collar of his. I really, really wanted to ask about it, but I remembered Gramps was always secretive about his scars. So maybe once a month I would ask him about it, but I never pushed when he wouldn't answer.  
Despite what my sister and most others think, I do know when to stop asking questions.

The sky followed through with its earlier threat when a large bolt of lightning streaked through the sky, lighting everything for a brief second before it began to drizzle lightly. That didn't bother me. I grew up in Zanarkand and you couldn't live here if you had an aversion to water. However, the combination of the light rain and the chilly wind swooping down from the Gagazet mountains to the south chilled me to the bone did bother me. I shivered and started to run towards my home in the C-District. Common sense told me I needed to catch a bus, and I was about to stop at the small bench at the bus stop, before realizing they took exact-change only, and all I had was a five-gil coin, a few things of lint, a hair tie, and a shiny rock that caught my eye, but no bus pass.

Since the bench offered no protection from the drizzle that was quickly becoming a full-blown torrent, I continued running down along the sidewalks, thankful they were mostly empty as everyone else was smart enough to seek shelter until the storm was over. Knowing my luck, I was going to end up with hypothermia, and my sister would tease me endlessly before casting Curaga. _"What, can't you heal yourself, little sis?"_ I could already hear her tease as I sat bundled under all the blankets I could pilfer. _"Come on, weren't you going to be a great Summoner some day?"_

I wanted so badly to be a Summoner just like her, and our mother, and our grandmother, and all the generations of women, and a few men, in our family. I wanted to pray to the Fayth in the sacred chamber and receive the great Aeon of Zanarkand, Alexander. The perfect blend of machine and magic. Then, if Bevelle threatened war again, I could protect my beloved city.  
But no, I was cursed with the inability to even cast a newb-level spell. My perfect older sister Lenore, on the other hand, could already summon Alexander and even Mount Gagazet's protector, Pandemona.

I ran a little faster, annoyed by my train of thought. I was so focused on trying not to think that I hadn't noticed the familiar red-coated man standing on the steps of my apartment until I ran straight into his back.

"Umph!" The air was knocked out of my lungs as I was knocked backwards into the sidewalk, the cement harshly breaking my fall and getting my backside wet all at the same time. I groaned as I felt the cold water seep through my clothes, not that I was exactly dry in the first place.

"Do you plan on sitting there all night?" My eyes flew open at the sardonic tone, and I grinned when I saw Auron standing in front of me.

"It would be rude to get up after you oh-so-gently helped me take a seat!" I stuck my tongue out, glad to see a small smirk form on his lips, visible thanks to the fact his usual high collar was absent, for some reason. He extended the hand that wasn't half-tucked into his coat, which I gratefully accepted. I had expected just leverage to haul myself up with, not to be lifted to my feet as if I was a just a doll. 

There was an awkward pause that made me fidget a little, trying to wipe the water off my clothes...which was rather impossible at this point. Realizing I was probably making an idiot out of myself, I gathered my courage and asked: "So… What are you doing here?" I offered a teasing grin. "Feeling bad that you stood me up?"

"A bit." I blinked, surprised at the answer while my face decided to turn red hot. Really, it was my arms that needed warmed up. I looked away from the black glasses half-covering his eyes, deciding to look down at his feet instead. After all, they were some pretty nice shoes, much better than my flip-flops that displayed my painted toes for all to see. Where did he get a pair like that? I had been dragged all across Zanarkand by my sister and roommates on shoe-shopping sprees, and I had never seen a pair like that. Then again, their focus was on pumps, flats, and sandals, not men's shoes. "I wanted to say goodbye."

My stray train of thought suddenly derailed and exploded catastrophically. My eyes shot back up to his sunglasses, trying to pull an answer from his stoic expression. "Goodbye? You're leaving?"

"Something like that." I felt a bit cheated as he not-so-discreetly pushed his sunglasses up all the way, destroying any small chance to read his face. Did he really have to wear them? I mean, it was nearly nine at night! Sure the street lights made everything bright as day, but _still!_

"Well, then no ice-cream cake for you on my birthday," I defended, trying to act nonchalant when I was sure there was a pout on my face. I was such a child. "I was going to have cookie dough ice cream in it too. And a triple chocolate cake." That was a blatant lie, I didn't really like ice cream cake, and my birthday was months from now, but he didn't know that.

I think.

"I think I'll survive." That small little smile is there again. If it wasn't for the fact he was saying goodbye, I would have been ecstatic.

"I'm going to die happily of sugar overload though," I cajoled, and to my surprise the small smile disappeared. Okay, not the time. Maybe it was time to un-change the subject. "So, uh, when you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"Oh... I'd see you off or something but tomorrow's the anniversary of Jecht's death, and you know how crazy Lenore is about..." I trailed off, rethinking that idea. I disliked blitzball, and I really didn't want to go to game tomorrow. This was a rather bittersweet yet perfect excuse to escape my sister's insane fanaticism with the dead player. "You know what, scratch that. I'm going to come bug you after all." I was far more fonder of him then I was of blitzball by a long shot.

"Spend the day with Lenore," he stated quietly but firmly as he adjusted his weight, a small cue I had come to learn meant he was about to walk off and disappear into the urban jungle that was Zanarkand. "Tomorrow is the end of this story."

"Huh?" I scratched my messy damp hair, more than a little confused. Was that a new- or maybe it was an old- saying? If it was, what did it mean?

What did it mean if it wasn't some idiom?

Instead of clarifying he went on to confuse me even further. "Your story deserves a happy ending. Be with those you love." He put a hand on my shoulder for a moment and squeezed it slightly, sending goosebumps across my body. I loved Lenore, yeah. She's my sister after all, but she wasn't the only person I loved.

"Auron," I protested slightly when his hand dropped away, he turned towards the way I had come, and proceeded to walk away. "Auron!" I turned and put my hands on my hips. "You better save me from my birthday cake, understand?" I had no clue where those words came from. They definitely were not the ones I meant to say, but they would have to do. "If not, I'll… I'll haunt you!"

Auron paused for a moment, his dark chuckle cutting through the pitter-patter of the rain before developing into a full-bodied laugh that wasn't exactly full of humor. My stomach did a small squirm, which I wanted to place on hunger pains even though I was no longer the slightest bit hungry. "As you wish," he called back before disappearing in the rain. My hands slumped from my hips as I sighed. I didn't even say goodbye, did I?

"Are you okay?" I barely had time to register Lenore's voice before she tackled me in a violent yet somehow protective hug that only siblings could do. "That freaky guy didn't hurt you, did he?"

"What? No! Auron would never hurt me!" I protested into her shoulder. Except, this time he did. Unintentionally of course, he couldn't have known about my feelings, but still... "Lenore, I love you and all, but I kinda can't breathe…"

The Summoner gave me a slight shove as she let go of me. "Auron? You know that guy?" Worried-and-protective Lenore was gone, and in her place was bossy and maternal Lenore, my least favorite aspect of my sister. Her hands were on her barely hidden hips, her brown eyes giving me the patent I'm-upset-with-you-and-by-the-way-I'm-a-Summoner-so-you-should-be-really-worried glare.

"Er, kinda?" I didn't really know-know him, but after meeting up once a week for who-knew-how-many-months, he wasn’t exactly a stranger either. "Why?"

"He's been standing out here for nearly three hours! He gave me and the other girls the creeps." She rubbed her arms dramatically and looked out into the strengthening rain that was now drawing up a fog from the waterways. "There's something not quite right with that man."

"I think the Aeons have gone to your head." I said under my breath but loud enough for her to hear. To prove my point I twirled my finger near my ear, indicating that she was nuts. There was one thing I had learned: never let a bunch of Summoners alone for long periods of time without someone to bring them back down to Spira. Every single time I left Lenore, Lenne, Cindy, Sandy, and Mindy alone for long stretches of time I would come home to some kind of insanity. And for me to call it that, it has to be _really_ insane. "So hey, we got anything to eat?" I changed the subject, putting a grin on my face. "I need ice-cream. And cake...and fries. Oh, fries would be delicious right now, along with pizza. Smothered in cheese."

"I thought you were going to watch your weight." She poked my hips, where I claimed the squishy flesh was just leftovers of being a kid. Still, there was a smile back on her face when I grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards the dormitory we shared with the other Summoners and Lenne's on-again and off-again boyfriend.

"Weight-shmat! It's time to party!" I punched the air with a loud yell. I swore I could hear one of the girls inside groan but it only brightened my mood. Hellfire, I was hungry, tired, and upset. I needed some fun!

It wasn't until late that night, practically morning actually, that I allowed myself to let go and cry. It was stupid of me, I knew that. We hadn't even really been friends! I didn't know anything beyond the fact he came from Bevelle, he was looking after a kid named Tidus that may or may not be the same Tidus from the Zanarkand Abes that Shuyin is resentful of, and he liked to wash down spicy food with a little of that rice-wine he always carried around. Which, by the way, was some weird Bevelle tradition and not because he had an alcohol problem. I think. Those Bevelle people are so backwards, and that's one of the primary reasons why I shouldn't care for him! He was from the evilest place on Spira. He was a very strange man who sometimes carried around a sword longer than I was tall. He had to be at least ten years older than me, along with being emotionally messed up (which I blamed Bevelle for), and had a tendency to ignore private property and hang out on roofs.  
Who was I kidding? I had fallen in love with him and his mysteries. His gray hair and that thick scar. The sarcastic and abrasive attitude, the arm that might-or-might-not-be lame. The fact he owned a katana that could slice anything into two, always carried the jug of sake. His big red coat…

And now he was gone.

x.X.x

_It was late fall and the driving rain managed to penetrate the sheltered bus stop. Still dressed in my summer outfit, I was shivering violently and stamping my feet impatiently. Why couldn't the bus be early for once?_

_I saw the man waiting with me give me a few glances out of the corner of my eye. Usually I would be striking up a conversation right about now. I've been accused of being a social butterfly and I carried the title proudly, but it was too cold and I was too miserable to even offer a hello. Still, I dreaded returning to the dorm; Lenore was going to scold me until she was blue in the face, and then Lenne would take over for her, followed by Cindy, Mindy, and Sandy. Maybe even a tease from Shuyin if I was really unlucky._

_In my defense, the weatherman said it would be partly sunny today...with a seventy percent chance of rain with possible snow mixed in the afternoon. I seriously thought I could rely on that thirty percent._

_Suddenly, something warm and dry was draped over my shoulders, breaking me out of my dark thoughts. I looked down at the thick red coat that now protected most of me from the rain and wind before I looked over to the man beside me, now bare of the same. He wasn't looking at me, but still focused on watching the cars zoom past. Or I assumed, since he had a pair of silver sunglasses hiding his eyes. He was older-the faint lines on his face and the brush of grey in his hair gave that away, even if he appeared to be very physically fit with the muscles nicely pronounced on his arms. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts (and not admiring him! ... well maybe I was admiring him a little...) that I jumped slightly when he grumbled with a rough voice, "You shouldn't wear clothes like that in this weather."_

_"It was sunny an hour ago," I defended lightly with no real malice, but a smile on my face. "But thanks."_

_"Hn, I want it back when the bus gets here."_

_"Yes sir!" I snuggled into the coat with a small smile on my face. The coat smelled pretty good, it had a musty male scent with an edge of spice to it. I took a deep breath before introducing myself. "My name's Terra, by the way."_

_"Auron."_


	2. Chapter One: Breath of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's easy to adjust when you first wake up, right?
> 
> Yeah, no. It's hell. And it's just going to get worse.

The water below the bridge tossed violently as it reached towards the top, occasionally spraying me with cold saltwater as I rushed home. It was hard to try ignoring the screams and the sirens wailing as I forced myself to run as fast as I could. I didn’t want to look back; I _couldn’t_ look back. The image of the towering wall of water was still burned it my mind, the distorted nightmarish face of a fiend haunting me already. 

What in Alexander's name was going on?! Was that truly just a fiend, or did Bevelle create a new weapon? And if they did, what kind a weapon was _that?_ We had heard the rumors that they had created the ‘ultimate war machina,’ calling it Van a gun or something similar. But there had been no signs that they had completed it. They usually boast their newest creations, trying to intimidate us before attacking. Never in our generations-long feud had they carried out a sneak attack. Though, I suppose there was a first time for everything. 

Something crashed behind me, sending a tremor through the concrete as well as making me jump and scream out of reflex. I turned, and my stomach twisted when I saw a piece of the bridge maybe a mile back now had a skyscraper crashing onto it, sparks and flames only adding to the destruction. Another tremor vibrated through the bridge, reminding me I needed to keep running. Except it was hard to when I caught sight of the wall of water behind me, which had morphed into a sphere of water several meters across, floating above the angry ocean. It was that terrifying image underneath the water's surface that broke the spell of fearful wonder, making me turn and continue running as hard as I could towards the University. 

I hoped Lenore and the others would know what to do, or at least what was going on. Lenore, Lenne, and Cindy, Mindy, and Sandy were all senior Summoners. They would be called to the front lines to defend the city, and I would be right there beside them as my sister’s Guardian. Except...I was only a year into my own training, and I was in no shape ready to take on some giant water fiend. All I was good at was running and causing a commotion. Heck, I didn't even have any weapons training yet! 

"Terra!" I looked up and felt a rush of relief when I saw Mindy running towards me. Even though she was barely twelve, she was just as proficient Summoner as her older sisters, and just as mature. If anyone could take control of the situation, it was her. "Are you injured?"

"I'm peachy! Now turn around and run!" I grabbed her hand as I ran past and tried to pull her along with me. Strangely, she didn't budge but instead yanked me back, sending me flying backwards into the pavement. The landing was hard enough I laid there dazed for a moment, belatedly realizing she was dressed oddly as she peered down at me. It looked like some wasp costume, complete with antennae sprouting from her headband, a stubby stinger and a working set of wings. 

"You're right. It is time to go," she spoke in an eerily calm voice as the wings fluttered, raising her a few feet of the ground as she looked back towards where the wall of water was. "The Dream is about to leave. This is the perfect time for you to wake."

"Um, Mindy, I'm perfectly wide awake." At least, I thought I was. Maybe this was just some crazy nightmare. I slowly climbed to my feet, still feeling a bit woozy from hitting my head. Still, the water-fiend was floating in its sphere, rippling strangely but otherwise motionless. 

It was a nice thought that this was a very realistic dream, until volleys of fire shot out from the sphere, striking the closest dozen buildings. As those buildings crumbled, more volleys were fired striking deeper and deeper into the city. Any thoughts about this being a nightmare vanished as I turned back to Mindy. "We need to go get the others!"

Mindy flew in front of me, blocking my sight of the water fiend, her eyes hard as she glared at me. "Terra, there is nothing we can do. Zanarkand is no more. It's up to you and the Dream to end this nightmare." She grabbed my hand, and everything… changed. I screamed in pain as my body was torn apart, condensed, set on fire and frozen all at the same time. Images rushed past me so fast I could make sense of any of them, only recognize faces. Lenore, Lenne, Cindy, Sandy, Mindy, Shuyin, Yunalesca, Zaon, the Fayth of Alexander, and others that I couldn't recognize as the light grew brighter and brighter. One last image flashed before everything was faded. Auron.

_“Was this what you meant?”_ I could still hear that dark chuckle in my head as everything turned white before it faded to black obliviousness.

x.X.x

It was cold, and whatever I was sleeping on was hard as a rock, but a soft song woke me gently from sleep. The Prayer of Summoners was familiar as it was sombering, and not exactly something one wanted to hear first thing in the morning. The trio of feminine voices was familiar enough, though something about it was off. 

I felt like someone had ran me over with a bus, more than a couple of times even. A groan escaped my lips as I sat up, rubbing my eyes. What the hell happened yesterday? Before I could really recall, I opened my eyes and the blurry vision was not the one I expected. Or a place I even recognized. Gone were the fairy-lights and brightly colored walls of my room, or the calm warm colors of my sister’s. Instead bare stone walls greeted me, dark and undecorated as they reached hundreds of feet above, where a small opening let in a small beam of light. 

Where the heck was I, and how did I end up here? I panicked as I jumped to my feet, looking desperately for some sign, something to let me know where I was, or better yet, how to get out. 

"So you've decided to wake, have you?" I turned around, surprised to see a woman standing between only door, luminescent lotus petals covering the exit. She was tall and severe looking, dressed in a green shapeless dress, reminding me of a temple Acolyte. Complete with a bindi on her forehead and yellow cauls covering most of her hair. 

"Who are you?" I demanded, or at least tried to. It sounded more like a whimper. "Where am I…" I trailed off as the vibrant colors beneath my feet finally caught my attention. At first I thought it was a beautiful mural with three women lying half-buried in the floor, parts of their bodies more bug-like than human. Then I realized it not a mural, or graffiti. It was a Fayth. An actual Fayth. Not just any Fayth, but the Magus Sisters. I woke up in the Chamber of the Fayth for the Magus sister. Worse yet, only Summoners and the High Priest or Priestess were allowed in the sacred chamber. 

"Oh no! I'm sorry! I’m so, so sorry!" I scrambled off of the Fayth, and ended up next to the woman. As creepy as she was, I was more scared how the three temperamental Aeons would punish me in retribution for such blatant disrespect. I had heard horror stories of the Fayth carrying out extreme punishment, ranging from execution to sending people to alternate universes of eternal despair.

"There is no need to apologize," the woman stated calmly. "The Magus Sisters instructed that you be brought to them." She did not look to me, but continued to stare down at the vibrant but silent Fayth. "They say that you know of the Fayth that Yevon fears."

Yevon? As in High Summoner Yevon? Okay. No. None of this was making sense. "Tell Lenore this is a really bad prank."

Finally the woman turned her attention towards me. "This is no prank, Terra. Though, I was informed you may be confused at first. My name is Belgemine. I am the Summoner that serves the Remiem Temple."

Remiem? I was in Remiem? The disputed territory of the grasslands on the other side of Gagazet mountains? Both Zanarkand and Bevelle tried to claim it as theirs, though it tried to assert its independence. During war time, more often than not, it fell to Bevelle. 

Except, now that I had time to think, the three ‘Fayth’ before me were not the ones I had studied. "They are not the Fayth of Magus Sisters!" I accused, pointing at the mural on the ground "That’s a fake!"

Belgemine didn't look surprised. "The Fayth you knew were Sent shortly after Sin appeared. These three took their place. I believe you knew them as Sandy, Cindy, and Mindy."

My heart skipped a beat as I looked back at the Fayth. While I could not see their faces, their forms were familiar. But... How? I was just talking to Mindy. I knew the girls were back home, back in Zanarkand. 

But...Mindy had been dressed as the Wasp Aeon. If I hadn't known the strict young girl as well as I did, I would have believed that she was in on the prank. Except I did know her, and I was convinced that she had been born without a sense of humor like her older sister Sandy.

"What--what in Alexander's name is going on here?" My voice shook as I turned back to Belgemine. There was a pitying smile on her face, and I had a sudden urge to just run. Run far away and forget everything.

"Tell me, what is the last thing you remember?"

Obviously, that was talking to Mindy. But... I couldn't remember why I had been talking to her. I closed my eyes and attempted to force myself to remember, though it was hard. Like trying to remember a dream. We had been on the street, and I had been running from something. Sirens had been sounding, and the water...

The water fiend!

My eyes snapped open, heart racing. "A super-fiend was attacking Zanarkand! I have to get home! I'm my sister's Guardian!" I didn't wait for her response, but shot towards the door. I only went two steps before magic paralyzed me mid-step.

"That 'super-fiend' was Sin," Belgemine stated from behind me. "You cannot return to Zanarkand. Yevon has forbidden anyone but Summoners and their Guardians to enter the city."

What? Yu Yevon, the High Summoner of Zanarkand, was completely dedicated to the city and its people, why would he forbid people from returning? Except, being paralyzed kept my mouth shut, preventing the torrent of questions from leaving my mouth. 

"You were brought here for a purpose, Terra," Belgemine continued. She made no sound as she walked around me to face me. "You know of the Lost Aeons, correct?" With a simple wave of her hand the spell ended and I wasn’t able to catch my balance before landing hard on the stone floor.

I whimpered lightly as I climbed to my feet, rubbing my bruised backside. "You have the wrong person," I complained, "I don't know anything about any lost Aeons. How do you even lose an Aeon in the first place?"

"There are five Fayth that Yevon teaches of. Valefor, Ifrit, Shiva, Ixion, and Bahamut. The rest have been hidden, or forgotten, like the Magus Sisters."

I gaped at her while doing a mental head count. "Five? Out of _sixteen_? How do you lose eleven Aeons? What the heck! What about Alexander? Phoenix?

"Fear," she interrupted. "The people feared Sin and looked to Yevon for protection. Thus, Yevon feared Sin's destruction and the loss of their power. So they did everything in their power to keep the status quo."

"You’re talking about High Summoner Yevon, right?" Sure, the High Summoner of Zanarkand was a little on the crazy side, and don't get me started on his daughter Yunalesca, but I had a hard time believing he would do something like that for power. “Why would he do something like that? How long have I been out?” 

Belgemine frowned and crossed her arms. "I have never heard Yevon referred to as a Summoner and I didn't believe High Summoners existed before Sin."

"High Summoners have been ruling over the city-states for like, ever!" I scoffed. "This is ridiculous! I don't care what is going on, I need to get home! I'm Lenore's Guardian, and wherever she goes, I go!"

Belgemine quickly stepped in front of the door, "The Zanarkand you know no longer exists. You cannot return there."

Sin destroyed Zanarkand. I fell back to the ground, my stomach feeling queasy as my mind replayed those few images I had before I had passed out. "Lenore…" I whispered, "Please, tell me Lenore's okay!" My stomach turned as fear rose in my chest at her silence. "Where's Lenore? Please, tell me where Lenore is!" I repeated, desperate. "Where's my sister?"

"We've all lost someone to Sin," she finally whispered. "The only thing we can do is to live our lives in remembrance of them."

“No. No no no,” I cried, falling to my knees. “Please, no.”

x.X.x

Days passed, and then a week. I rarely left the small room Belgemine had provided to me. The first few days she seemed sympathetic, but then started to become annoyed by my lethargy. 

Eventually, she became tired of my depressed listlessness and shoved a shotgun into my hand. I stared blankly at the silver and brown machina before looking back at Belgemine, who had her arms crossed and a severe look on her face. She reminded me of Sandy, but worse. Sandy had a dry sense of humor at least. Belgemine didn't seem to have one at all.

I clenched my hand, the wood of its handle not at all reassuring. Sandy, Mindy, Cindy, Lenne, my own sister, Lenore. All of them, dead. Or close to it in Sandy, Mindy, and Cindy's case. And who knew what kind of shape Zanarkand was in; whenever I asked Belgemine, she refused to answer. When I asked ‘how long,’ she shook her head and said ‘long enough.’

"Enough mourning," she stated sharply. "It's time for you to learn how to fight. You may not be very strong or have any magic, but you're agile. Anyone else would use a sword, or a claw, but the Fayth told me that Machina would suit you...despite the teachings."

"And how do you know that?" I asked, looking numbly back at the gun. It wasn't anything fancy: a dark wooden handle -I think it was called a stock- and a single silver barrel. However, instead of answering me, I felt a strange but familiar sensation of magic swirling around me.

"Terra, a descendent of a long line of Summoners,” she stated, a display floating before her. “She is unable to cast any magic herself, but is agile and accurate. She loves a good time and is always the first to crack a joke to lighten the mood, but she is heartbroken over the loss of her family and friends. She is also rather immature and transfers blame onto others rather than herself."

"Hey, I'm not baring your heart for all to see!" I snapped as I wrapped my arms around my waist despite the fact it didn’t do anything. It felt wrong to hear myself summed up with such casual words. Sure,Lenore and the others had used me as practice when they were learning the spell But I felt almost violated that she, a virtual stranger, had cast the spell.

"You are a Guardian now. Get used to your privacy being invaded." She threw a small fluorescent purple and green bangle at me. "That will protect you from the monsters in the area. Don't wander too far."

I was tempted to simply refuse to move, but after a few moments her dark look became a pointed glare as she pointed at the temple doors. I sighed before shuffling as slowly as possible over to the door until a Thunder spell cracked behind me. After that, I rushed as fast as I could away from the crazy Summoner. Once the thick stone doors were between me and Belgemine, I turned my focus once again to the shotgun in my hand. Did it have any bullets? Did it need bullets? My studies had always been more focused on magic; we only had a brief overview of machina weapons like guns. The most I knew about it was that some took bullets, some didn't. There were magic bullets, blue magic bullets, and regular metal bullets. You loaded it, pointed, and pulled the trigger.

Hopefully, it was really as simple as that.

When I finally looked away from my new weapon, I was stunned at what I saw. There was a rickety wooden bridge that led over a deep chasm, and below it there were simple and very dangerous looking paths spiraling downward below the temple. I trusted the stone paths far more than I trusted the rickety wooden bridge. I mean, really, who used wooden bridges anymore? Why wasn’t there a machina to cover the gap!

For a moment, I debated just sitting down on the steps of the Temple, and waste my day in the sunshine. However, Belgemine already seemed a bit testy, and I didn't particularly want to be zapped. And I admit, I was a bit curious to see if I could fire the gun. I sat the shotgun down as I strapped the bangle to my forearm before picking the shotgun back up. It was kinda heavy but no more than Lenore's staff, just more compact. I bounced it in my hands for a moment before I brought the gun up experimentally, feeling a bit like a child. The long stock pressed uncomfortably against my shoulder, but no amount of adjusting helped the pressure any. I sighed, trying to dispel my nerves before pulling the trigger…. 

Nothing happened.

The trigger was stuck.

"Oh come on!" I complained as I pulled the trigger as hard as I could, which...turned out to be a mistake. The trigger finally gave and the gun fired with a resounding _bang_ that echoed through the canyon. I screamed as the gun recoiled into my shoulder and sent me back into the cement. 

Ow. That...that was more than a little sting, both to my shoulder and my pride. 

I coughed and waved my hand of the non-injured side to get rid of the dust and smoke. I was shocked and rather pleased to see a nice sized chunk missing from the first plank of the bridge. That was awesome. Painful, but awesome.

Suddenly, the Temple doors opened with another bang. Belgemine was standing at the doorway, looking as if she could kill me. "I meant hunt fiends, not destroy the temple."

"Uh, eheheheh, right." I chuckled awkwardly before turning around and running down the spiraling path. I could hear Belgemine groan before the stone doors closed loudly once more. She was exasperated? She wasn't the one shoved into a strange place, told that her home was in the hands of Bevelle and that a big fiend called Sin was wandering around killing everything. All the while eluding to the fact my sister may be dead.

And to top it off, I was going to be her Guardian whether I wanted to or not.

Fighting the bad guys is what I've always dreamed of. But not like this. Nothing like this.

x.X.x

After about a week of hunting the small fiends and being dragged forcibly multiple times from the Chocobos that gathered by the Temple, Belgemine and I left the secluded Remiem Temple and entered the 'Calm Lands' as she called them. Honestly, I was clueless as to what was so calm about Remiem city. It wasn't until after we walked out from the canyon that I saw what she meant. Where a small but still busy city used to be was now a long stretch of grasslands. No buildings, no roads, no signs of life at all.

"Woah!" I ran ahead of the Summoner to get a better look of the flat lands. The grass probably as tall as my knees, stretching as far as the eye could see. "It's beautiful!" I didn't think places like this existed anymore. The sky seemed to stretch on forever and on the horizon I could see the faint shadows of the Gagazet mountains. 

"Deadly beauty, perhaps." I looked back at Belgemine, confused before she pointed towards the north. I jumped with a small startled scream when I saw two Coeurls stalking through the grass. One of them paused to look at us, and my heart started to pound in my chest. I had been shooting at Nebiros and Skolls, and compared to Coeruls they were just regular bees and wolves. Thankfully the Coerul seemed uninterested and continued on its way. "Fiends are more common here than at the Temple. You have to be on guard constantly."

"Um, right." I watched as she gracefully jumped down the ten foot ledge to the flat expanse, and felt very jealous when she acted as if it had been nothing. Ten Gil said she had some nifty spell for that.She turned and looked up at me, an expectant look on her face. "Are you nuts? I'm not jumping!" I defended, crossing my arms. I'm not afraid of heights or anything, but I was pretty sure if I tried her stunt I would be lucky if I just twisted my ankle. 

"Then climb down," she stated simply. I’m pretty sure that was easier said than done, but I pushed away my fear and sat on the ledge, cursing my flip flops and their poor traction. After a moment, I felt confident as I carefully made my way down the rock face. Until I lost my grip halfway down. My scream was short lived before I hit the grass on my backside. I hissed in pain and rubbed my butt to try and soothe the pain. I had been falling down so many times these last couple of days- I was sure I was going to end up breaking something sooner or later.

"Get up; we need to hurry," Belgemine snapped as she grabbed my arm. I was tempted to just ignore her and wallow in pity, but then a roar sounded across the plains. In less than a second I was on my feet and hiding behind her. She had Aeons while I did not. She sighed and rolled her eyes before stalking off, following a faint trail I could barely make out.

"So, where’re we going?" I asked after I caught up with her, surprised how fast she could walk in that dress of hers.

"The Maesters are going to Luca for the Blitzball tournament." If she saw me briefly stick out my tongue in disgust, she ignored it. Blitzball had never been my cup of tea, and it brought up sore memories of Lenore. I had skipped the last Blitzball game to try to find Auron despite his comment. Otherwise I would have been with her during the attack. "Consequently," Belgemine continued, "many Summoners will be there, and perhaps the one the Dream is guarding."

"Cool," I said, but honestly had no clue what she was talking about or why it mattered to us. "So… how far is Luca exactly?" Because if memory served, Luca was quite a ways away from Remiem, at least a day by airship from Zanarkand.

"Too far to walk in a week. We'll board a ship in Bevelle."

"Bevelle?" I complained, stopping in my tracks, anger bubbling up.. "I'm not going to Bevelle! No way! Why can't we catch a ship at Macalania instead?"

Belgemine paused, giving me a strange look as she studied me. "Macalania isn't near the ocean," she said slowly.

Seriously? "What does that have to do with anything?" I asked, "It's an airship, for crying out loud!"

Belgemine confused expression became dark, "We're not taking an airship." The venom in her voice was surprising, "We're taking a proper ship. Now, come." Without another word, she turned and stormed off. I groaned but hurried to follow her. I didn't want to be caught by a fiend without help. I did pause to look towards the north, where I could see Mount Gagazet standing tall and proud on the horizon. I would go back home someday. I would do whatever it took to free it from Bevelle's hold, and then I would go home, forbidden or not.


	3. Into the Serpent's... er, Dragon's Lair.

"It's hot," I whined as we walked through streets of Bevelle later that morning, the hatred I felt for the coastal city only growing. It was hot, humid, and the streets were packed with people who kept staring at me--and not in the good way. Plus, it was Bevelle. How could I not hate it? "Why can't we just take an airship to Luca?"

There was a few gasps around us , people looking scandalized as more eyes followed us. Belgemine grabbed my arm and pulled me into a secluded alley away from the market. "Machina is forbidden," she hissed, "Including airships. Unless you want to be arrested, I suggest that you stop talking about machina. And keep your gun hidden."  
"But Bevelle is the machina capital of Spira!" I protested before Belgemine squeezed my shoulder again, her nails digging deeply into my skin. "Hey, ow!" I pried her hand away and rubbed my arm, noticing small dots of blood forming from the half-circles her nails left. 

"Keep quiet, or I'll be forced cast Silence on you." Her glare drilled into me, reminding me a lot of Sandy as she turned and marched back into the crowd. I sighed before following after her. If the Aeons wanted my help for a plan I barely understood, why did they pair me up with a tight-lipped, crabby Summoner with no sense of humor? If the Magus Sisters really were my friends, they knew that people like Belgemine drove me up the wall.

Maybe that's why they did it. Retribution for years of goofing off and annoying them. I wouldn't put it past Sandy and Mindy.

I followed a few steps behind Belgemine, more interested in the surroundings than keeping close track of the crabby Summoner. The buildings reminded me of the pictures I've seen, with Bevelle citadel sitting upon the temple of Bahamut. I felt sorry for the poor Fayth: he probably didn't get very many visitors. If it wasn't for the fact he was connected to Bevelle, I would really like Bahamut. Only Gilgamesh, Yojimbo, and Odin could come close to the pure destructive power the dragon Aeon wielded.

However, that's where the similarities between the Bevelle I knew and the city around me ended. I expected to see a lot of machina around; they were the machina capital of Spira. Known well for their reliance on machines and their technical prowess. However, there wasn’t a machina in sight. Even Zanarkand had a few machina, power generators, automated buses, and other simpler stuff. Instead, it looked like the city had been thrown back into the middle ages.

It made me almost believe Belgemine. But how could someone forbid machina? The idea seemed impossible. Why would anyone even dream of such and idea? And why would people follow such an absurd law? 

A pair of guards wearing green and silver uniforms suddenly appeared out of the crowd, seemingly intent as they made a beeline for us. The deep hatred for anything Bevelle suddenly swelled in me as I recognized the uniforms, and my hands immediately went for my shotgun. However, Belgemine surprised me as she stepped between the guards and me, hiding me from their view.

"Stay quiet, and hide your machina," she whispered harshly before the guards stopped in front of her. Part of me wanted to ignore her, but my rational side pointed out that there was only one of me, and who knew how many other guards in the city. I was still a noob when it came to fighting with the shotgun, anyways. The chance of me winning against them was probably the same as my chances against the Coeurls back at Remiem. Instead, I clenched my teeth and tried hiding the shotgun behind my back. _"Just this once,"_ I swore.

Belgemine bowed and did the classic Blitzball’ good luck’ gesture, which totally confused me. "I am Summoner Belgemine; how may I help you?" she asked, her whole demeanor changing to a calm pleasantness.

The silver helms prevent me from seeing their eyes, but they obviously turned to look at one another before looking back at us. "Why does your Guardian have a machina with her?" One of them asked, or rather demanded.

Belgemine straightened her shoulders and stood up just a smidge bit taller. "Lady Terra was once a part of the warrior monks that served at the temple in Baaj before it fell to Sin,” she stated rather pointedly, yet no losing her charm. “ As you know, certain machina are allowed to be use in certain conditions, including serving Yevon and its Summoners."

I stood up a little straighter and tried to look like a warrior monk. I probably ended up looking up more ridiculous than I intended, but thankfully the two seemed to buy it.

"Very well," one of the monks accepted, though not without a smidge of suspicion. "Though we must insist you keep the machina hidden. The public isn't privy to such knowledge. We will personally escort you to the temple."

"That’s not necessary," Belgemine interrupted. "I have already acquired Bahamut. If you would, please show us the way to the docks."

I was stunned as they accepted her answer and turned with a gestured to follow. Summoners were allowed access to Bahamut? Without having to jump through political hoops and tons of paperwork? Had this Sin fiend changed Spira that much? How long had I been out of it?

The thought made me feel uneasy, so I shoved it away as we marched down the marketplace, the crowd parting around us. I felt uncomfortable with virtually everyone staring at us, and tried to shrug it off by grinning and waving at random people. But after a mother pulled her child closer to her, fear and maybe even disgust displayed on her face, I had a feeling that was the wrong thing to do. 

What was with everyone?

x.X.x

I had been on a few boats before, and I had to admit I liked the peaceful sound of waves breaking against the hull of the ship, even though the rocking motion was starting to make me feel queasy. It had been surprisingly easy to find a ship that was heading to Luca, but the Captain had asked us to move towards the back of the ship with the cargo when it became obvious the other passengers were bothered by my weapon.

"I'm thinking… Bessie. That's a good name for a shotgun, ain't it?" I grinned up at Belgemine, who was sitting atop the crate I was leaning against. Her eyes were closed peacefully, reminding me of the inner calm that my teacher used to say all Summoners needed to possess. Lenore had the same look when she meditated; so did Lenne, Cindy, Mindy, Sandy, and all the other girls. Except me. I was often told I looked like a constipated monkey when I tried it.

"If you really want to name your weapon," she muttered after a moment. "Though, I fail to see why you would."

I shrugged as I turned my head back around and rested it against the wooden crate. "I like naming things, I guess." My sister would have teased me if she ever found out I had named everything in our apartment. Sam the toaster, who was having a love affair with the can opener, Jina, behind Karly's back. Karly, of course, was the fridge. The mop Leena was pining after Yufin the broom, who kinda liked her, but kinda didn't.  
What can I say? Life got extremely boring sometimes.

I sighed as I closed my eyes, focusing on the cool sea breeze that misted my face and played with my short brown hair. Life got boring at Zanarkand, but I would trade anything to go back. Back to my sisters, both by blood and by spirit. Back to pointless lessons on magic. I knew I would never achieve it, but it was nice to learn, at least. I wanted pizza on Friday nights, and Besaidian every other night because it was so cheap. I wanted dinners with Auron every week, sitting on a bench, eating cheap food and talking about nothing. I wanted to borrow his coat whenever it started raining- and just soak up the musky, stale, scent that surrounded it.

I didn't want this. Yeah, I wanted to be Lenore's Guardian, and maybe if I was guarding my sister instead of Belgemine it would be better. But everything was so different than I had thought.

"Machina!" I suddenly blurted out, reminded of my question earlier. Belgemine gave me a very strange look, which I guess I deserved. "What's the deal with a ban on machina?" I asked, looking out over the pristine blue ocean, reminding me a lot of home, where I could sit on one of the docks, my feet dangling in the water as I tried to relax.

She sighed, "Machina attracts Sin, and makes the fiend angry. When Sin is angry, he destroys anything and everything."

"It didn't destroy Bevelle," I grumbled under my breath. If it was upset by machina, why did it destroy Zanarkand and not Bevelle?

"It has tried many times, but the Maesters and Bevelle's Guardians protect the city. It is the seat of Yevon, the holy city."

I paused before looking back at Belgemine, unsure whether to be horrified or laugh. "Bevelle… holy… you're kidding me, right?" The green-garbed Summoner shook her head, causing laughter to win. My high pitched cackling probably drew a few looks from the other passenger, who were already scared of me; but honestly, Bevelle, holy? To be holy meant to be pure, didn't it? I'm not saying Zanarkand was perfect and holy either, but Bevelle was far worse, with overcrowding, and slums bordering the city. They had public brothels, one of the highest crime ratings in all of Spira, and it was rare to go a day without hearing about a new murder, a new kidnapping, or something else happening in the machina city.

My cackles were suddenly silenced, not because I had stopped my hysterical laughing, but because Belgemine had followed through with her threat and had cast Silence. I grumbled silently and sent her a dark look. She pointedly ignored me and went back to meditating.

x.X.x

_For the third time, I found myself waiting for the five o'clock bus, standing next to Auron, drenching wet. This time, it wasn't because of a rainstorm. No, this time it was because I had had a very impromptu swim in the ocean. I didn't care if Shuyin was a star Blitzball player-I was going to murder the pompous, arrogant, blond hair jock. Viciously. With a spork, and then pray to the Aeons that Lenne, girlfriend of said jock, didn't kill me in return. Because she would, or at least have one of her crazy fans do it. Over half, if not all of Spira loved the Summoner Songstress._

_My stomach growled loudly, ending my murderous scheme as I groaned, rubbing my belly. That was the reason I wasn't walking home today. I was starving. I had quick bowl of some sugary cereal almost twelve hours ago, and that was it. Mrs. Karla's business was booming, meaning lots of work and no time for a break today to catch a snack. And no leftover either._

_"Let me guess, you were disappointed it didn't rain today." I looked up at Auron, my face probably bright red as his coat. I’m sure I didn't look very flattering, hunched over, water still dripping from my hair and clothes, moaning not-that-quietly._

_"Nah," I forced a smile, "Shuyin decided that instead of giving me one of his energy bars, he'd rather dunk me into the ocean." My stomach grumbled again, and I winced as he gave me a strange look over his sunglasses. "You know how life is," I said, making myself stand up straight, and not clutch my aching stomach. "You pay a horrendous amount of money for school, and barely have enough to eat."_

_I could see him roll his good eye, and a slight smile over his grey collar thingy. What was the purpose of that anyways? To hide that scar? It didn’t do that great of a job._

_There was a long lull as I looked up at the clock across the way. Seven more minutes. I was going to die of hunger. And it was all Shuyin's fault. Would have killed him to let me have an energy bar? He had like a bajillion at his apartment; I remember looking through his cupboards during a party, looking for the cups Lenne sent me to fetch, only to find his cupboards were packed with boxes of them. Chocolaty, nutty, ooey-gooey, absolutely-delicious-enough-to-kill-for goodness._

_"Here," I looked up and saw about twenty five gil laying invitingly in Auron's gloved hand. "Starving yourself isn't a good idea."_

_"It's not like I'm doing it on purpose," I mumbled, and swallowed my pride as I accepted the money. I paused for a moment, looking over at the vending machines down the street a ways. "I'll eat under one condition!" I said, grinning back over at him._

_"What?" he asked, and I could tell he was amusing me by the sarcastic tone in his voice._

_"That you eat with me!" I took a chance and grabbed his hand, and quickly tried to drag him along with me as I head for the machines-"tried" being the operative word. Instead, he quickly broke my grip on his hand, and glared down at me. However, I gave him a mock-frown of my own as I put my hands on my hips. "Don'cha know it's rude to eat in front of other people without offering them some?"_

_"Humph," he just gruffed, pointedly looking away from me. I frowned for a moment before going with the rash plan that popped into my head._

_It only took maybe a minute to run to the vending machines and back with both hands full of treats. "Here, mister grumpy-guss," I said lightly as I held out a chocolate bar. "And if you don't take it," I warned as he looked over at me, "I will shove it down your throat."_

_I grinned my brightest as he gave me a very skeptical look. Yeah, there was no way I could make him do anything, let alone even try to carry out my threat. I was a scrawny little kid compared to him. To my surprise, he chuckled slightly as he accepted the candy bar._

_For a moment, I forgot I was hungry as my stomach squirmed for another reason. I really liked that laugh…._


	4. It had to be Blitzball, didn't it?

By the time we reached Luca, I had grown sick of the rocking boat. Literally. I had lost count how many time I had lost my food to the ocean, and how many times I hadn't reached the side of the ship in time. When the boat did finally docked, I wasn't the only one thankful. However, I was the only one that threw myself to ground, kissing the faded paint of the wooden boards. Thank Alexander, I was never setting foot on a ship that didn't fly ever again.

Eventually, I became aware of the unsettling feeling as if someone was glaring holes into my back. I sat up and looked behind me, and sure enough Belgemine was standing there with her arms crossed and a murderous look on her face. Others were gathered around too, with expressions ranging from amused to confused as well as disgusted.

"Terra." Belgemine's command was short and severe, and while I was sorely tempted to stay seated on the unmoving dock, the darkening glare practically promised pain if I didn't move.

"Yeah?" I answered cheerily as I jumped to my feet, a grin on my face. It grew even brighter as she narrowed her eyes even more before she turned and stormed away. Terra-1, Belgemine… Well, I wasn't sure how many points she had, but I was more excited about the fact I had won this little dispute. That alone made me laugh as I walked after her, not paying any attention to the range of looks I was receiving. I was just too happy to be off the boat to really care.

Luca's docks were crowded with people unloading from other boats- once again there was no machina in sight. As I followed Belgemine, I noticed people continued to give me, or rather Bessie, pointed looks. Though, not as many as when we were back in the so-called 'holy city’, but I did notice a few smile at me as I walked down the streets. I made a point to smile back and wave at them, which seemed to surprise many of them before they returned the gesture.

Belgemine was waiting for me where the dock opened up to a reception area for the Blitzball stadium, studying the screens boasting current scores of different teams, and announcing upcoming games as well as prices for admissions seemed out of place compared to everything else. 

Of course The only machina I had seen so far had to be related of Blitzball. "The tournament starts in an hour," she said quietly, almost to herself.

I nodded my head, "And… we're here because of the masters, right?" Whoever they were.

Belgemine gave me a look. It wasn't exactly angry, more exasperated than anything. "The Maesters. And...not quite. We’re here because many Summoners will attend the tournament before continuing on their pilgrimage. Hopefully, that includes the Summoner that the Aeon's Dream is guarding."

I frowned, "You said the same thing back at Remiem, but you didn't really explain _why._ " Not that I had asked….

Belgemine tilted her head slightly, her annoyed expression fading into curiosity. Which, really, was actually scarier. I knew how to deal with an annoyed Belgemine, but a curious Summoner never ended well. "You truly do not know why you are here, do you?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Because I know of the 'Lost Aeons' " I said, making air quotations with my fingers, "that can kill Sin, and topple Bevelle and this Yevon's control over Zanarkand."

She shook her head with a sigh, "You follow mindlessly without question, just like a sheep."

Instead of being offended, I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "It's easier that way, less stressful." I paused before adding, "Besides, sheep are fluffy."

Her gaze became sharp. "You need to take responsibility, Terra. Spira's fate now rests on your shoulders just as much as it does the Dream and the Summoner. You will lead the Summoner to the Aeons, and both you and the Dream must convince them not to follow the traditional path of the Final Summoning. You cannot just breeze through this. You must take initiative and fulfill your responsibilities."

I frowned and crossed my arms, "Why can’t I just tell you where they are?"

"While I may be able to Summon, I do not have the strength to receive another Aeon."

"Why not?" I asked. To my annoyance she ignored me and marched towards the ticket desk. "Bel, why can't you…" I rolled my eyes as the Silence spell was cast with a simple flick of her wrist. I was even further annoyed as she proceeded to ordered two tickets for every single game of the opening tournament.

❖❀❖

I. Was. In. Hell.

I sat slumped on the painful wooden bench, grumpily munching on my third box of popcorn. Even back in Zanarkand, sitting still for an entire Blitzball game was hard. I was generally dead-bored in ten minutes, and fell asleep in the soft stadium seats before halftime. Unfortunately, the benches were far from comfortable, and I couldn't even stretch out since I was squashed between Belgemine and a wall.

Plus the fact that this wasn't the first game, but the _fifth_ one of the day.

Thus, hell.

Though, I had to admit it was entertaining to watch Belgemine. She had been so uptight since we met, it was a shock to find out she behaved a lot like Lenore when it came to Blitzball. The calm and collected Summoner often yelled passionately during the plays, hollering in outrage when her favorite team's goalie missed the blitzball, and actually jumping in joy when her team scored. I so wished I had a recording sphere for those moments for blackmail.

"Keepa catches the ball! No goal for the Luca Goers this time, which means the Besaid Aurochs win!" The announcer shouted loudly as most of the stadium screamed in joy, bringing me out of my inner la-la land. I looked up at the screen, which proclaimed the score five to four, with the Besaid Aurochs as the winners. At the beginning of the game, I had thought the Luca Goers were a fan-favorite, but by halftime everyone had begun to cheer for the apparent underdogs. "The Aurochs have sure cleaned up their act, not only breaking their losing streak, but winning the championship! The new player, Tidus, sure seems to be their new lucky player."

My stomach knotted at the name. For some reason, it bothered me that Tidus was so familiar. I knew the name from somewhere, but I couldn't place where. I tried to shrug it off, I probably heard it from Lenore, or maybe Shuyin. But that nagging feeling flared to life every time his name was mentioned. I knew it, and it felt wrong that I couldn’t place where. 

Another thing that bothered me was the fact that this was the opening tournament, yet there were only six teams competing. There should be more than that. After all, Zanarkand alone had ten teams. Maybe this was just a regional, but then why would teams from Kilika and Besaid be here?

I lost my train of thought as terrified screams suddenly pierced the excited atmosphere. I looked up at Belgemine for a brief second, who no longer cheering, but had magic crackling around her. That was all I needed before I jumped to my feet, grabbing Bessie off the ground as people started to rush towards the exits. "What is it?" I asked as I looked around, trying to find the source of the ruckus and seeing nothing. She gestured towards the sky, where swarms of aerial fiends circled the stadium.

I watched, stunned by the massive swarm before noticing a ugly looking bird-fiend, a Garuda if I remembered right, broke off from its flock and swooped down out of the sky, heading for a small child with a bright balloon.My heart pounded, and I acted without thinking. "Hey, leave the kid alone, you underdressed turkey!" I yelled as I quickly brought up my shotgun and fired. The bullet slammed right into its body, drawing its attention away from the boy. However, before it could drift towards us, Belgemine made a sharp gesture with her hand. A large Firaga burst to life, consuming the fiend. It screeched in pain for a short moment before exploding into a puff of pyreflies.

Unfortunately, cut down one fiend and three more took its place. "Oh, come on!" I moaned as I raised my shotgun again and fired off quick rounds at the avian fiends. I had long since appreciated that the shotgun needed no bullets. I also greatly appreciated the barrier spell Belgemine casted when the Garudas gathered wind magic in their wings and shot it at us, slamming me back into the benches. I managed to get back on my feet just as Belgemine made a complicated hand gesture before thrusting her hand towards the fiends, her magic slamming into the birds. All three disappeared in a colorful burst of pyreflies.

"Bel, you rock!" I grinned as she lowered her hands. She gave me a tired look, but I barely noticed. Adrenaline flooded my veins, and I was ready for another fight. I scanned the stadium, looking for the closest fiend when a flash of red caught my eyes, drawing my attention to the walkway about ten rows down. My heart skipped a beat when I recognized the red coat, the large sword, the black and grey hair. "…Auron?" I whispered, in a daze as I watched him easily take down a large dragon-like fiend. He...he was here? How?

"Hmm, so Sir Auron is here as well." Belgemine put a hand on my shoulder. "The Dream and Summoner are likely here too, but perhaps this isn’t the best time."

I didn't hear any of her words, focusing instead on the man below. He was here? He was here. He was here! I didn't know whether to cry in joy and rush down there to hug him, or to shoot him for somehow being involved in all of this.

Over the week or so since I first woke up at Remiem, I couldn't help but remember he left the day Sin attacked, and the eerie message he had given me when he said goodbye. Had he known about Sin? I knew he came from Bevelle, had he been a Bevelle spy?

"Terra."

I yelped as the Summoner dug her nails into my shoulder, drawing my attention back to her. "What was that for?" I whined, rubbing the abused area.

"We are surrounded by fiends," she scolded me. "You must focus."

I frowned at her, I was focused. One hundred percent focused. My focus just happened to be on a guy and not the fiends.

"Right, let's…" My words died in my mouth as the sky suddenly grew dark, then red. Inept at magic I may be, I still knew a Summoning when I saw one. Except, this didn't 'feel' like any of the Aeons I knew. My point was proven right as a chain slammed into the ground in the center of the arena, bringing up a large, hideous creature. "What Aeon is that?" I shouted, jumping back in horror and disgust. Gruesome didn't even _begin_ to describe it. In all my studies, I didn't remember anything remotely like it. 

"Anima, an Aeon created by a Final Summoning. It is full of the hate that now surrounds Spira." I looked over and saw a look of disgust warping her face. I was more troubled by her words. Someone _created_ an Aeon? Aeons were formed from the strength of a Summoner and the Deity that spoke through the Fayth. You couldn’t exactly just create. "We leave, now."

"What?" She grabbed my hand and dragged me up towards the exit as fiends began to burst into pyreflies around us. "But, Auron…" My argument was literally muted as we left the stadium, and I began to run right alongside the Summoner. Maybe, maybe it wasn't him. But, hadn't she addressed him as Sir Auron?

Since when was Auron a Sir? 

Besides, if he really did betray Zanarkand to Bevelle, if he was the cause of the destruction of my home, did I really want to face him? Did I really want to know why he did it, and ruin the memory of the sorta-but-not-really friend I knew?

No, I didn't. I closed my eyes, admitting to myself I was a coward. I was thrown into this strange situation, I was completely confused about some things Belgemine refused to answer, I didn't need any more confusion, or heartache.


	5. On the Road to Somewhere

I was starting to hate walking, especially along the Mi'ihen Highroad, where there was long stretches of road with no people or even fiends to distract me. At first, I had filled the periods by talking about everything except the man back at Luca. I made comments on the weather, including a one sided debate about how rain is much better than hot sunshine which somehow developed into complaining that I should have gotten a better pair of shoes while we were in the port city because my flip-flops were not made for walking long distances. It was after we met the chocobo Knights that patrolled the Highroad and I started to nag her about why couldn't we ride chocobos instead of walking that Belgemine finally snapped and cast Silence once more.

I tried hard to keep the conversation going in my head. It shouldn’t have been difficult since Belgemine hadn't said more than one or two words, but unfortunately my thoughts kept drifting back to Auron. Not even the few fiends distracted me for very long. And we're talking about Bombs, Dual Horns, Raldos with hides so thick it took a bajillion shots to destroy them, and of course the White Elements. The darn things took forever to finally die.

Okay, so White Elements would be pretty easy I could cast a simple Fire spell. And of course the first time I saw them, I thought they would be easy. After all, Belgemine could cast Firaga. 

But did she help?

No. Of course not.

"You need to be stronger," Belgemine said as she pushed me towards the spiraling white fiend. "These fiends offer you a chance to hone your aim."

I was really starting to dislike her.

Despite the difficulties of the fights, Belgemine would patch me up with a Cure spell afterwards and my thoughts would wander back to Luca, and the not-so-rhetorical dragon slayer. What had Auron been doing in Luca? I didn't think he was a Blitzball fan… But then there was Tidus- the Aurochs' new player. I had known the name was familiar, but it wasn't until after we reached the Highroad I remembered that he had been watching a boy of the same name. Was that why he was there?

I should have ran after him. I shouldn't have been such a coward. But I was still so scared to find out if my fear was real and he had been a Bevelle spy. I knew he had come from Bevelle; even I had to admit it was rather suspicious that the day he left Zanarkand had been destroyed by Sin and was now under controlled by Bevelle.

And Lenore was dead. Maybe.

Maybe it had been just a coincidence? He never expressed any kind of loyalty to Bevelle; he even seemed a bit reluctant and almost averse to machina. If I ended up ordering from the vending machina on Thursday nights, he would be aloof with the occasional dark look aimed towards it. If he had been from Bevelle, he should have been comfortable with them-especially basic things like that.

But then again, it could have all been a ruse.

My thoughts continued to run around in circles. Had he been a Bevelle spy? Was it just a coincidence? Was he partly to blame for everything? If I ever saw him again, could I gather up the courage to ask him? Did I even want to know?

A thunderous roar broke through my thoughts. I looked up just in time to see a Dual Horn charging through the brush at us with flames falling from its maw. I screamed as I scrambled out of its path, but I wasn't nearly fast enough. One of its paws struck out and ripped through my clothes and skin as if they were nothing. Another scream left my lips as I landed on the dirt, sharp burning pain radiating from my ribs.

"Terra, get up!" Belgemine's harsh command cut through the pain. I managed to pull my upper half off the dirt road. While one arm propped me up on the dirt, I used the other hand to tenderly clutch my wounded side. Sticky warm liquid coated my fingertips. Cloth and skin intermixed, sticking to the deep wounds. I was in serious trouble barely aware of the Dual Horn that turned and focused on me again.

A simple Cure spell wrapped around me, pulling the edges of my wound together and easing the pain. I slowly climbed to my feet both to prevent jarring my tender side and not to provoke the fiend. My eyes fell on Bessie laying in the road between the Dual Horn and myself.

Oh yeah, I was so dead. I briefly imagined my conversation in the Farplane: _"Yeah, I know you wanted me to save Spira and all that jazz, but I barely got out of Luca before I was gored by a Dual Horn. How, you ask? Well, I was thinking of this guy and wasn't paying attention… Yes,I know everyone always tells me to pay attention…"_

Okay, maybe I needed to at least try before giving up. My eyes darted between the shotgun and the fiend as I tried to figure something out before I became the fiend's Shish Kabob dinner.

I looked towards the Summoner, who stood a distance back, far enough the fiend paid her little mind. "Do something, Bel!" I pleaded, but only to earn a narrowed-eye glare.

"I did. This is your fight…" she couldn't finish her answer before the Dual Horn charged again. I screamed and flailed out of the way, numbly wondering how funny I looked. However, this time the Dual Horn did more than graze my side. I felt flames burn my skin as it bit down on an outstretched arm. I didn't have time to scream in agony before it whipped its head, tossing me like a rag doll on the path. I honestly couldn't tell you what was up and what was down, or even what was happening for those few short moments that lasted forever I crashed into an overgrown patch of rubble. After that, all I was aware of was the pain. I didn’t noticed Belgemine summon the lovely Shiva that made short work of the Dual Horn, or her voice as she tried to rouse me from the pain-induced coma.

Oh dear holy Alexander, I didn't think anything could hurt like that. I think I screamed when Belgemine touched me, but I wasn't entirely sure. For all I knew I could have been laughing. The pain lasted for what seemed like eternity before my shuddering subsided enough after the cool wind of a Cura wrapped around me. After that it wasn't but a few seconds before I could think something besides _'oh shit, ow, owie, this hurts, ow ow ow.'_ The, finally a brief reprieve before Belgemine slapped me across the face, sending a new wave of pain. "OW! Hey!" I jumped off the ground, pressing a hand to my tender cheek as I stared at Belgemine, who looked as composed and annoyed as always. "What in Ifrit's name was that for!"

"For being a lousy Guardian," she answered coldly. "You are strong enough to be able to handle a Dual Horn with little difficulty."

I stared at her for a second before yelling, "You-you slapped me for _that?_ Are you kidding me! I should slap you for being a lousy Summoner! You could've helped me before I was maimed to death!"

Suddenly Belgemine's cold look rivaled Shiva for frigidness. There was no way anyone could miss the fact I had obviously said the wrong thing. She didn't say a word as strode past me with her head held high and shoulders back. I grumbled as I followed her, only to run back a moment later to grab Bessie before hurrying to catch up. "Bel, hey, wait, Bel!" I called out as I caught up with her, but didn't receive even a glance. "Okay, yeah, I'm a lousy Guardian. But I never had any training and really, you're being too hard on me! I mean, come on, I just learned how to use Bessie!"

Belgemine suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm before pulling me off the path into a small clearing. I was about to complain when three chocobos warked as they ran past. "This is a different world than what you are use to," she said firmly, still gripping my arm tight. "Guardians don't receive any formal training. You learn to fight by fighting. You either succeed or you die."

"Seriously?" Her answer was a glare, though not as cold as before. That seemed rather harsh. I mean, just to shove someone into fighting? That seemed like a very bad idea, to say the least. When I opened my mouth to complain, Belgemine's attention drifted to something behind me. I glanced behind me, mouth opened to speak yet the words caught in my throat.

It was Lenne and Shuyin.

My heart jumped for joy as a large smile crossed my face. It was them. I wasn't alone! The two were in front of a small group, their attention completely focused on one another as usual. My eyes danced across the short (relatively speaking, that is) Ronso, a woman dressed in a strange black dress and a man with rooster-red hair, and…

Auron?

My good mood stuttered to a stop when I saw him, and I was torn between running towards them and running away. My jumbled thoughts from before the attack returned with a vengeance, along with all the doubt and confusion. Here was my chance. I wanted to wave and shout, run over to the group and demand to know what in Spira was going on. I wanted, no, I _needed_ answers. Was he really him? Could the pair really be Lenne and Shuyin? They both looked different, making me question my initial thought. 

I had intended to run forward but instead I took a step back before turning closer to Belgemine's side, keeping my back turned. What if…what if he had been a spy? The thought made my heart ache as I clenched my eyes shut. Did I really want to know the truth? Did I really want to know that the man I had all but fallen in love with was the cause of Zanarkand's fall? That he had used me to learn more about Zanarkand? I had talked so much about my city with pride, I had told him the secrets of the Summoner's academy, recited every bit of knowledge I had about the Aeons. 

Was I the reason for its destruction?

"Ah," Belgemine spoke beside me, her condescending tone dragging me out of my thoughts. "A Summoner's party."

"You too, are a Summoner?" My eyes snapped open as I spun around, the Lenne-look alike was a Summoner, and sounded almost the same as her. For one very brief and joyful moment, I thought I had found my friend. Except, seeing her this close it was clear she wasn't Lenne. Her hair was too short, her dress to conservative for the Sanubia-born Summoner-Songstress, and her eyes weren't honey brown, but one was green and the other blue.

"My name is Belgemine," Belgemine introduced herself, still with that haughty tone, "and this is my Guardian, Terra." I forced a weak smile as the not-Lenne looked at me, an innocent, naïve, look on her face. I tried my best to ignore the others, especially the man in the red coat that I could swear was drilling a hole in my head with his gaze. 

Actually, that turned out to be my imagination as my eyes disobediently glanced over to his tall figure next to the scary goth lady, and found him with his back slightly turned towards us.

"Nice to meet 'cha." I watched the man who looked like Auron carefully for any reaction, and frowned as he didn't do anything. He just stood there, impassive. It couldn't be him. My Auron would've reacted to that.

… In a world where behemoths gave out candy, he would have at least. But he looked so similar, it was confusing.

The other Summoner smiled lightly, "I am Yuna," she introduced herself, giving the deep bow and hand-wave that I was slowly becoming accustomed to. It was weird to see the blitzball 'Victory' gesture as a solemn thing, but then again, to most fans it was a solemn thing.

"Ah, the High Summoner's daughter, I've heard much about you,” Belgemine’s demeanour changed. She was no longer severe, but polite. Soft even. “You are still fresh on the road, are you not?" I glanced over to Belgemine. High Summoner? But Yuna didn't look or act like Yunalesca. Once her father had become High Summoner of Zanarkand, the silver haired woman had only become more self-absorbed.

Of course, considering she always picked on me, I could be a bit biased.

Yuna glanced down, her face becoming a bit pink. "Yes, I am."

"I might have a few things to teach you,” Belgemine offered kindly, throwing me for another loop. Let's see whose Aeons are stronger, mine or yours." Belgemine had a small smirk on her face, which was surprising. She hadn't shown many emotions beside irritation and determination. It was unfair, but then again, I had often gone out of my way to annoy the Summoner. "What do you say?"

Yuna paused before looking back, and I mentally chastised myself for following her gaze and seeing it pointed towards the Auron look-alike. He nodded briefly to her, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses just like the real Auron. He had the same streaks of grey hair, the same scar over his right eye, the same everything. It was him. It had to be him.

I didn't realize I had been staring until Ifrit burst out of the ground between us. I looked down at the ground, ashamed and hoping I hadn't been caught staring. If it was him, he was making it pretty clear he didn't care to talk to, or even acknowledge, me.

It felt like my heart had shattered into a million pieces as I watched with blurred vision the fight between Belgemine's Ifrit and Yuna's Valefor Aeon. Even if I didn't mind Belgemine's butt getting kicked by a the teenaged Summoner, my half-hearted bets were fully on Ifrit. The fire-demon had always been one my favorite Aeon, next to Alexander of course. Brash, strong, he submitted to no one, and had one of the strongest will among the Aeons. That, and mother always commented that if the legends were true, and each person was born under the protection and influence of one of the Aeons, I definitely belonged to Ifrit.

I needed that strength now more than ever. Watching his long black claws swipe at the elegant dragon-bird Aeon, a smirk on his muzzle as he hit his target, I felt my confidence rise. I could do this. I was going to do this! I was Terra, for crying out loud! Obnoxious, impetuous, Terra who didn't care about etiquette or what people thought of me. I was going to confront him, and figure out what in Alexander's name was going on!

"You know, you look kinda familiar." I looked away from the Aeon battle between Valefor and Ifrit to the Shuyin look-alike, surprised when I noticed he was talking to me. He had a kinda confused look on his face, no traces of Shuyin's stuck-uppityness."What was your name again? Terra?"

I gave a smile. "Yep! And you are?"

"Tidus," I hope he didn't notice my smile disappearing for a second as I shook his hand. It was him. The Auroch's lucky player, and Auron's charge. My eyes flickered to the might-be-Auron, who was still not paying attention to anything but the Aeon battle. 

My attention snapped back to the blond when he dropped my hand. "We saw you guys in Luca," I said, forcing some cheer into my voice. For some reason I couldn't ask the question that was on my mind. "Congratulations."

The redhead, Wakka, if I remembered right-he looked a lot like the captain of the Aurochs, at least-grinned and practically puffed out his chest. "Gotta go out with a bang, ya know?"

"Totally," I agreed, nodding my head enthusiastically as a real smile danced across my lips, both to agree with him and happy about the fact I remembered his name. "So, are all of you guys from Besaid?"

"Me, Lulu, Yuna and Kimahri are," Wakka said before nudging Tidus in the side, a grin on his face. "Dis one ain't too sure where he's from. Sin messed with his head, ya know? And I ain't too sure where Sir Auron came from either, he just popped up in Luca and offered to be Yuna's Guardian." His grin died away slightly and was replaced by a mix of surprise and confusion. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that he's helpin' out, but it's just kinda surprising to have him show up outta the blue, ya know?"

I tried not to look at the man that I was deftly pushing out of my thoughts. The problem was, the more you tried not to think about something, the more you thought about it. Auron. His name was Auron. It was him, wasn't it? Where had the courage my pep-talk gathered went to? I needed to know what was going on!

So… Why was I so afraid of saying anything?

Ifrit slammed his giant hand/paw into the dirt in front of us, making me jump as he started to drift away as pyreflies. "Aw man", I thought, "I missed her beating Belgemine." However, the older Summoner didn't seem to upset or surprised, but pleased.

"Not bad for one so young," Belgemine said to Yuna with a slight smile on her face. "I underestimated you. Take this, you deserve it."I frowned as Belgemine handed Yuna her Echo ring: she had spent a fortune buying that from that O'aka guy.

Without a word to me, Belgemine turned and started to walk away.

"Hey, wait, Bel!" I yelled after my Summoner, taking a few steps before I looked back over to Tidus and Wakka, "Uh, talk to you guys later!" With half wave, I took off running after Belgemine, who continued to walk faster than should be possible in that green dress of hers. It wasn't until I caught up with her that I realized she had prevented me from talking to Auron.

"Don't," Belgemine's word was sharp as I paused, looking down the dirt path for a familiar hint of red. "I can tell he must look familiar to you, but he's not who you think he may be."

I frowned as I turned back to her. "How do you know?" However, instead of answering, she continued walking, giving me a really hard choice. Go back and possibly make a fool out of myself, or chase after her, again, and attempt to get answers before making a fool out of myself.

I sighed before running after her again. This was all way too confusing for me, and it was just easier to follow her instead of trying to get answers that I wasn't sure I wanted.


	7. Fighting Alongside a Ghost

Belgemine was gone by the time I woke. My head pounded as I sat on the edge of the bed, unwilling to move. I didn't want to get up, but something inside was nagging me enough I couldn't fall back asleep either. Thankfully, I looked over at the table and saw a glass of water, an energy bar, and an apple. Even so, I couldn't manage a smile as I got up. The reflection in the mirror reminded me of last night; I touched my face, grimacing at the dark bags under my eyes. If I had white magic like Cure, I could fix that.

But I had no magic. "Hey, no one's perfect," I told my reflection before taking a bite out of the apple, briefly sticking my tongue out at her between bites. I pocketed the bar for later, and dumped the water in my canteen before grabbing Bessie. Right, no time for dilly-dallying. There were Summoners to annoy and fiends to destroy before I could rest. 

After a quick check of the room, briefly wishing I could grab a blanket and sneak it out with me, I left for good, ready for the road. And as soon I exited into the hall, I knew something was wrong. Several different voices were yelling commands in both Spirian and Al Bhed. People were panicking and chocobos could be heard screeching in the distance. My easy mood broke as I rushed to lobby, trying to inhale the apple as fast as I could. 

"Terra." Belgemine was standing near the door along with a crowd of horrified spectators, looking a lot calmer than everyone else.

"What's up?"

Instead of answering, she gestured for me to look out the window. A huge fiend, as tall as the building stood between the ravine and the chocobo corral. Yuna and her Guardians were already out there, giving their all as they fought. "A chocobo Eater, an admirable adversary. Especially for a new Summoner and her Guardians." She gave me a pointed look when I looked over at her.

"What?" I asked after a long, heavy silence. Well, relative silence. It was easy to hear the battle raging outside. 

"She will be your next Summoner. Prove yourself trustworthy." Before I could react, she opened the door and shoved me out.

"WHAT? Bel!" I screeched as the door slammed shut behind me. I took a moment to try and open it back up with no success. I turned to face the fight, more than a little intimidated. The creepy Goth lady was casting fire spells left and right while the boys kept throwing hits on the chocobo Eater, either with their swords, spear, or blitzball, which left poor Yuna trying to cast cure every time the Eater swiped at someone with its giant claws. "Oh man!" I whined before I took Bessie off my shoulder and rushed into battle. I pumped the gun before firing at the chocobo Eater, grinning when the magic bullet slammed into the fiend's shoulder, causing it to flinch and roar towards me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Wakka jump in surprise as I slid to a stop between him and Tidus. "Need some help?"

"Wha? That's a machina!" he yelled as he pointed to Bessie. "You're a Guardian, ya? What're you doing with a forbidden machina?"

"Bessie's forbidden?" I paused as I looked down at the gun that now shined after being used so many times. I grinned as I looked back at him. "Awesome!"

"Focus, both of you!" The Goth lady-Lulu, if I remembered right-shouted moments before the fiend swiped his long arms towards us. Tidus was quick enough to grab and pull me back a few feet as the fiend's claws flew past, but they still managed to catch my leg and slash it open. Oh yeah, this was going to be tons of fun. Not.

Yuna's cure spell was like a soft breeze, refreshing and invigorating as it wrapped around my leg, pulling the blood back into my shin before sealing up the wound. I gave her a quick smile and thumbs up before I focused back on the chocobo Eater. I had faced some scary fiends before, but the chocobo Eater's gaping maw really disturbed me. It would have no problem scooping me up, or anyone else for that matter, and swallowing us in one gulp.

Bite-sized Terra. Not a pleasant image when you're trying to gain the courage to fight like the others. They worked like a well-oiled machina. There was no fear. No hesitation. Tidus even had a grin on his face as played cat and mouse with the fiend, distracting it along with Wakka and Lulu while the heavy hitters, Kimahri the Ronso and _Sir_ Auron dealt the most damage while the fiend wasn’t looking.

 _Come on, Terra,_ I tried bolstering myself. _If you can't face this fiend, how are you supposed to fight a fiend that can destroy entire cities?_

I shook my head before doing the one thing I was best at: acting without thinking. I planted my feet firmly into the dirt as I raised Bessie to my shoulder and took aim. The fiend's shoulders were covered in thick hard scales, along with its hands. Most of its trunk was actually its huge mouth, but it still had the universal weak point. 

Eyes.

I fired, and the bullet completely missed its small yellow eye, but struck dead center on the fiend’s nose. It gave a piercing howl, looking away from Tidus to me. However, it was enough of a distraction for Lulu to raise her arms before casting Fira, which struck the same time as Wakka’s ball. A dark cloud covered the blue and white ball, and transferred over when it struck the chocobo Eater's face, surprising both me and the fiend. 

The chocobo Eater tried swatting the black cloud away from its eyes, leaving it completely defenseless as Sir Auron rushed forward, his blade held tight. His katana sliced the fiend from shoulder to hip while Kimahri jumped up high and plunged his wicked looking halberd into the fiend's head.

The hit dazed the chocobo Eater; it stumbled back a few feet before falling to its back. It didn't burst into pyreflies. "Hit it now!" Sir Auron's words echoed through the battlefield, causing immediate action. A little smile spread across my face as I took aim at the very wide and very exposed rump before firing. The fiend roared as the bullet slammed into its rear as another Fira spell roasted him. But just because it was on its back didn't mean it was completely defenseless. It raised its long arm and pointed it at Lulu. A Blizzard spell hit the Black Mage, causing her to falter for a moment before Yuna cast another cure spell, which was followed quickly by a Nul-Frost.

The chocobo Eater started to rock back and forth, trying to get back onto its feet before both Tidus and Sir Auron rushed for it, their swords easily cutting into the soft behind of the fiend. It was Kimahri, though, who seemed to do the most damage. The short Ronso rushed forward, and used his halberd almost like a club to strike the Fiend with enough force to make it slide back a few feet.

"Hey!" I called out, noticing how close the fiend was to the ravine's edge. "We can knock over the cliff! That'll kill him!"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Tidus called back, grinning. However, the chocobo Eater started to rock again, and before we could keep it on its back it jumped to its feet, the dark cloud of the blind spell gone from its face.Its ugly face was contorted in rage as it roared and rushed towards us, arms stretched out wide. I don't know how the others fared, but I wasn't quick enough to dodge. It felt like an Airship had just plowed me into the ground. I laid for a moment, string up at the sky as I tried to process what just happened. By the time I managed to pick myself off the ground, Yuna was casting cure on Wakka, and Tidus was back to quickly exchanging blows with the monster. 

I fell into place next to Tidus, and winced when I fired another shot, the kickback sending daggers into my shoulder. But while I failed to hit its eye, the bullet plowed straight into its right nostril.

A hysterical laugh escaped from my chest as it roared and clawed at its nose, which was the wrong thing to do on my part. It snarled as it looked over and pointed at me. I gave a cheeky grin as I pumped my shotgun. "Bring it, fluffy!" The fiend went to make a move, but got a Ronso-driven halberd impaled in its arm. I laughed again as it roared, closing my eyes for a split second.

That was all it took for the fiend to shake off Kimahri, and when I had opened my eyes, the brown scaly fist was speeding towards me. I could see fire, a blitzball, and Tidus trying to distract it, but the fiend seemed hell-bent. I was too shocked to move. Frozen in place as a perfect target.

"Terra!"

Its fist was a hair’s breadth away when my reflexes finally kicked in. I held up my gun to shield me, as if it would do much good, and closed my eyes and braced for impact. To my shock, the chocobo Eater roared in pain, yet I was untouched. Confused, I opened one of my eyes, half-expecting the chocobo Eater to be standing there in front of me, grinning with his huge mouth and ready to devour its 'bite-sized Terra snack'.

The chocobo Eater was still there, but itwas howling in pain, completely oblivious. I was rather stunned myself, mostly by the red coat that blocked most of my view. Auron was standing in front of me, his katana skewering the scaly brown fist like a giant shish kabob.

"Yuna, now!" Tidus yelled. The Summoner pulled back her staff, and purple runes made of light appeared beneath her, spinning around for a moment before the lights shot into the sky overhead. A moment later Valefor landed next to Yuna, still a beautiful and dangerous sight to behold.

I probably should have focused more on the battle, but my attention was still on the man still standing in front of me, the silver and black katana slung easily over his shoulder. He still looked so much like _him_ it almost hurt. Everything. Everything was the same. However, before I could gather my courage and say anything, Valefor's Energy Blast shook me out of my thoughts, quite literally, and I looked up to pyreflies drifting lazily in the aftermath of the Aeon's Overdrive.

Sir Auron seemed to hesitate for a second before he walked over to Yuna, who was surrounded by her other Guardians. Which was good, I mean, they were her Guardians. Summoners came first… But it felt kinda weird being left out. Weird, but familiar. 

I put an end to those thoughts when I realized Yuna had noticed me and was walking towards me. I couldn't stop myself from fidgeting from the six pairs of eyes on me. Should I meet her halfway? Was I supposed to bow or something? "Thank you, for helping us," Yuna's voice was soft as she bowed, the Victory symbol formed by her hands.

"Heh, no prob!" I grinned nervously. "I'm always up for a little fight!" I punctuated my words by patting Bessie, which I regretted when Wakka's eyes locked on the shotgun, a dark look crossing his face.

"Why are you using Machina?" Wakka blurted out shortly. Crossing his arm as he glowered. "They're forbidden by Yevon, ya?"

I could feel my face pale slightly as I tried to think of an excuse. What had Belgemine said? "I... uh… used to be a Warrior Monk for Baaj, and…um, this kind is okay as long as it's used for… fighting fiends?" My statement ended more like a question, making me wince.

"Baaj was destroyed over ten years ago," Sir Auron pointed out, his tone more than a little skeptical. "Everyone died," he added.

"Not everyone,” I defended rashly. “Me and Bessie here managed to make it to the isle of Bikanel." I made myself keep my grin. If Belgemine could lie to Bevelle's guards and make them believe it, so could I. Even if it kinda bothered me I was lying to a familiar face. "

Strangely, my story seemed to soothe Wakka's temper. "Wow, praise be to Yevon," he muttered before performing the 'victory' hand sign. As if I wasn't already tired of that gesture…

"Terra," Belgemine's stern voice cut through the conversation,and for a moment I was relieved to see Belgemine coming from the Travel Agency, even if she looked almost pissed. She could fix my mess...which was actually her fault, come to think about it.

Belgemine ignored me, and turned to Yuna instead. "My apologies, Yuna, if my Guardian was problematic."

"Hey!" I protested, my relief gone as I readied myself to argue only to be Silenced. I gave a silent groan as I slumped, ignoring everyone's strange looks. I really needed to find some kind of armor that protected against Silence.

"She was a great help, Lady Belgemine." Yuna assured her with a small frown on her face as glanced at me, looking rather concerned. However, Belgemine still looked displeased.

"Still, she should know better than to interfere like so." Belgemine's words made me freeze before becoming angry. How dare she! Who does she think she is? _She's_ the one who told me to go fight! Besides, what's so wrong about helping fight a fiend?   
For once, it wasn't her who stormed off, but me. With a silent frustrated scream, I marched through the group and down the Mi'ihen Highroad, completely ignoring the calls behind me.

❖❀❖

_"Ya know, I really like Thursdays," I offered out of nowhere as I once more waited for the bus in the rain, standing next to Auron. I didn't really have a reason for taking the bus today, other than the fact I saw him waiting and my first impulse was to stop and say hi. Which led to a mostly one-sided conversation as we waited for the late bus. "I mean, it's the day before Friday. There's no Blitzball games, there's never an exam on Fridays so there's no cramming. One of the girls usually bakes some kind of goody for the game on Friday night, but I can always sneak away a treat or two. And then you usually pop up on Thursdays…" I trailed off, cursing my brain for letting that last tidbit pass through my lips._

_"Hm," was the only answer he gave._

_"Hm? That's all I get?" I whined. "What are you up to on other days?”_

_I was way crossing the line with that, and I knew it. A long silence stretched out, and I was almost positive I ruined this not-quite-friendship. "Fulfilling a promise to a friend," he finally answered quietly. I almost couldn't hear him over the background noise of cars buzzing past. Along with the advertisements and news playing from the sphere-screens dotting the street and all the other noises of the city._

_"Really?" He nodded his head slightly, and I smiled. "That sounds nice. What did you promise them?"_

_Before my question could be answered, the bus pulled up. I never did get an answer that evening._

_❖❀❖_

_It was a while until Belgemine caught up to me. I could see her green dress out of the corner of my eyes as an Esuna spell gave back control of my voice box. I didn't pause or say anything, but just kept marching down the road._

_I hated being contemplative. It never seemed to do any good. Except this time I couldn't gather my thoughts, throw them in a box, and go on being cheery. Anger simmered against the Summoner beside me, at whatever Fate had thrown me here and paired me with her. I was mad with whichever Aeon was charge of Reincarnation and decided to create the virtual copy of Auron to torment me even more._

_What had I done to deserve this? Sure, I had my fair share of sincs, including that summer I tried being a pyromaniac. But had that really warranted this kind of hell?_

_"You'll be attacked by fiends if you don't pay attention," Belgemine said as she pulled me to the side of the narrow road, just a second before a chocobo sped past. I shrugged her hand away and continued walking, this time closer to the steep side than the middle._

_Why was I doing this? Last night, I had figured I would do this for the Aeons' sake, for my mother's sake, but…weren't the Aeons, the Gods, the reason I was here? What had Mom ever done for me anyways? Were the memories of my friends and my home enough to fight for?_

_Suddenly, I stopped and turned to face Belgemine, who had continued to follow me. I met her dark eyes straight on as I raised my chin defiantly. "I don't want to do this anymore."_

_Belgemine crossed her arms, un-amused and ready for a fight. She probably had guessed this was coming. "Neither do I, but we have no choice."_

_I had expected a different answer. Like: _"It doesn't matter what you want,"_ or _"You already said you would."_ Not that I didn't have a choice. There was always a choice. "What do you mean?" I snarled, the words bursting from my lips as I stomped my foot into the ground. "Of course I have a choice. You can't make me do anything I don’t want to do!" Not unless they had discovered some ancient dark magic spell. Which honestly, wouldn’t surprise me at this point. _

_Belgemine uncrossed her arms, a resigned expression on her face as she took a step back. "You're right, I can't." Her words were soft, and for a moment I thought I won. However, a dark cloud began to form between us. There was a familiar sharp tinge to the air, proclaiming the Aeon before it appeared. A familiar eight-legged grey horse stepped out of the dark cloud, and on its back was a pale skinned rider with blazing red eyes dressed in dark, heavy armor. The broad sword in his hand was easily larger that me, and finely sharpened to a thin point._

_Odin. Holy mother of Alexander, Belgemine had Odin!He was one of the most dangerous and powerful Aeons! He could easily kick Bahamut's butt and could even rival Alexander in power!_

_I gave a high-pitched shriek and flung myself to the ground as Odin swung his sword towards me, flinching as I felt its tip resting against my back. I was dead. I was so very, very dead._

_"You dare attempt to ignore your duty?" Odin's voice boomed, causing the hair on my arms to stand on end. There was just something unearthly and creepy about his voice that shattered any courage I had left. "The Fayth have given you their strength so you may wake from your dream. Will you betray them, and leave this world to further ruin? Will you refute your responsibility?"_

_"I-uh-no! No-nononono!" I cried, cringing as the blade pressed on my vest. I didn’t understand his words, but I was too terrified about my impending death to ask "Please, _please,_ don't kill me!"_

_There was a long pause, and I could almost swear I could feel his red eyes bearing down on me. I didn't chance a look, but kept my eyes firmly shut and my face pressed into the dirt. It felt like forever before his sword was lifted off my back. "Very well."_

_Shocked, I glanced up, and my heart froze as I watched Sleipnir rear back with a high-pitched whinny. I quickly pressed myself closer to the ground, as if that would help any, and expected her hooves to beat down on me._

_But… nothing happened._

_I peeked once more and saw everything had turned to normal. No Odin, no Sleipnir, no death. Even Belgemine as gone, already meters down the path. She was leaving without me. Again. I paused for a moment before picking myself off the ground and running after her. Alexander knows what she'd do to me if I ran off now._

_"Do you still refuse?" she asked as soon as I fell in step a few paces behind her._

_I scowled as I crossed my arms, "You'd have Odin kill me if I did!" I accused bitterly, only to be confused as Belgemine shook her head slightly._

_"I have no control over Odin. He is an Aeon unlike any other."_

_I paused for a moment, "What do you mean?" Sure, Odin was powerful, but he was still an Aeon. A Summoner had full control over any Aeon that was gifted to them._

_Belgemine sighed, shaking her head. "It's… complicated. Just know that you are not the only one he is forcing on this pilgrimage."_


	8. Aeons, Maesters, and Guardians, oh my!

A heavy silence followed us as we continued down the weaving path. I was lost in my thoughts, utterly confused. How could an Aeon control a Summoner? It worked the other way around, right? Had Spira changed that much, that Summoners were no longer in command?

"Bel," I started, and Belgemine instantly shot a dark look over her shoulder. "Oh come on!" I complained loudly, "I'm not going to stop bugging you until I get an answer!"

We rounded a corner as I spoke, and the narrow road widened into a plateau of sorts. There was maybe half a dozen people that stared at us. I could hear Belgemine sigh before she took a step back and subtly pushed Bessie behind me and hissed: "keep that hidden."

 _"Kinda hard,"_ I thought, but kept my mouth shut and tucked Bessie as best as I could beneath my vest before I continued to follow Belgemine as she strode through the crowd, head held high. The crowd parted easily for us, but I couldn't help but notice the strange looks we were getting. Was it Bessie? The shotgun had drawn a lot of attention in Bevelle and Luca, but their looks weren't focused on the obvious bulge under my vest. Instead their eyes followed Belgemine.

The squadron of guards didn't move from their post under the overhang created by yet more ruins, but continued to stand at attention, barring our path. The apparent Captain, dressed in a large red helmet and clashing yellow uniform, held up his hand to stop us. "Access to Mushroom Rock Road is prohibited at this time. You will have to wait or take an alternative route."

Even without seeing Belgemine's face, I knew she was giving the guard one of her patented death glares. "I am a Summoner," she stated firmly. "And it is Yevon's own law that forbids _anyone_ from impeding a Summoner's pilgrimage."

"Grand Maester Mika has given us the power to stop even a Summoner's party," the guard retorted, apparently unfazed by Belgemine. "After we’re done, Mushroom Rock Road will open and you may continue your pilgrimage. If it's even needed."

That caught the attention of my curiosity as I stepped out from behind Belgemine. "What do you mean, 'if it's needed? Why wouldn't…"

"Silence, Terra!" Belgemine snapped her wrist quickly, Silencing me mid-word. I screamed in frustration despite it being a moot point.

This was getting really old, really fast.

"If you do not want to wait," the guard continued, now with a slight sneer. "You can take another route..."

"We'll wait," Belgemine snapped before dragging me back through the crowd, who were openly staring at us, and led me to the farthest corner of the open space before all but shoving me down to the ground on the other side of an odd cage. Angry, I tried to climb back to my feet, only to be shoved to the ground once more.

 _"What the heck?"_ I yelled silently, _"First you cast silence on me a bazillion times, and now you're shoving me around? Maybe if you told me what's-"_

"Going on!" I jumped at the sudden volume of my own voice. My face quickly turning bright red, first out of embarrassment, then out of anger as Belgemine started to snicker. "I hate you," I growled as I looked up at her. She had her hand covering her mouth, like a proper lady, but I could still see the smiling expression. "I really, really, hate you."

Belgemine moved her hand, confirming she had a twisted smile on her face. "I'm not that fond of you either," she replied. "Luckily for us, we don't need to be friends to carry out our duties."

The familiar call of chocobos echoed off the canyon walls, distracting me from arguing more. The ground started to tremble as half a dozen chocobos marched up the road in two groups, each pulling large cage behind them. Flanking them were Crusaders, three to each wagon. who kept poking and prodding whatever was held inside the ornate metal cages. The crowd parted, giving the chocobos plenty of space as the passed. I stood up, curious to see what was inside the bars, and partially surprised Belgemine didn't shove me to the ground again.

As they passed, I could see the strange fiends inside. Their appearances were unlike any kind of fiend I had heard about; one was a tiny red centipede-like creature and the other…I wasn't even sure what it was supposed to resemble. "Sinspawn," Belgemine spat out, breaking me out of my trance, my stomach squirming strangely.

"Sinspawn?" I echoed in confusion, previous rage forgotten. "Sin is able to reproduce?"

Belgemine shook her head, "Not quite. Pyreflies around Sin occasionally gather and form powerful fiends. If not defeated quickly, Sin will come back for them."

I frowned as I looked back to the cages, as they too were stopped at the blockade. Why kind of fiend could reproduce, even like that? "Why aren't they killing them?"

Belgemine didn't answer, but the one of the Crusaders leading the party inadvertently did: "Two Sinspawn ready for Operation Mi'ihen!" he announced, saluting the lead guard.

The Capitan merely nodded his head. "You may proceed." The guards parted, giving plenty of room as the chocobos and their carriages passed.

"Pathetic," a new voice announced. From the other side of the cage a scantily clad, dark skinned woman appeared, shadowed by a tall, shirtless, burly kind of man. "The Crusaders should know by now there's nothing they can do to destroy Sin."

"Why would the Maesters allow this?" The big man asked, making the woman shake her head and shrug her shoulders.

"Who cares?" she scoffed as she strutted down the road, towards the Travel Agency. "Sin won't be killed, until I defeat it." The burly man said nothing, but followed her silently.

"Another Summoner with a pointless dream," Belgemine whispered under her breath, and I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hear her or not. "Endless sacrifices for temporary peace. That's why we have to do our duty, Terra," she said, looking over at me. Something about the look in her eyes and the expression on her face sent shivers down my spine, and I unconsciously took a small step back. "To end the spiral of death."

All I could do was nod my head, averting my eyes from hers. That creeped-out feeling wasn't dissipating, but kept growing until I felt too agitated to stand in one place. I began to fidget, adjusted my weight from foot from foot and fiddling with my bangle as we waited. I...honestly hadn't a clue about what we were waiting for. Were we going to wait until this Operation was over? How long was that going to take? A few hours? Days? _Weeks?_ I didn’t look forward to sleeping on the ground, maybe we could go back to the Travel Agency to wait? Having a bed for a second night and access to actual food sounded like a blessing.

"Give me your weapon," Belgemine finally broke the silence, holding out her hand. It must have been easy to see the confusion on my face, because she gave one of her patented sighs before explaining. "It's unwise for you to walk around here with machina. As long as you don't stray too far, you should be safe from fiends."

I hesitated reluctantly handed Bessie to Belgemine, feeling too light without its comforting weight. It was weird: starting out I couldn't get used to the shotgun, but now I felt naked without it. I shoved that thought to the back of my mind as I wandered off before Belgemine changed her mind.

What I wouldn't give for this to be a dream. To suddenly wake up in my own bed, quickly bouncing out of it in search of Lenore so I could tell her the crazy dream I had. She would just laugh, ruffle my hair, and remind me about homework I still hadn't done. A small smile bloomed across my lips as I drifted off into my little imagination world, my body wandering aimlessly as my mind occupied itself with its daydream. Maybe it was pointless to dream that reality was just a dream but it was comforting and almost familiar. I could practically hear Lenore teasing me, just when Cindy would pop in and ask what we had in mind for breakfast. I would ask for some oatmeal and fruit the same time Lenore said we'd get our own. It was a timeless argument; Lenore hated asking for help but Cindy loved cooking, so I had no qualms putting in my order. Cindy would laugh, and make a deal with Lenore about washing the dishes in payment.

"Hey, Terra!" someone called out, snapping me out of my daydream. I had wandered away from the plateau area, and back along the winding path leading to the Travel Agency. The comfort my daydream had brought was quickly mixed up with the flurry of emotions when I saw Tidus, Yuna, and everyone else on chocobos. Including him.

Bye-bye contentment, hello confusion and anguish. Why couldn't I get over this already? I knew it wasn't him.

I put on a smile and waved as Tidus stopped his chocobo a few feet in front of me, and everyone else followed suit behind him. "Where'd you get the chocobos?" I asked, more than a little jealous. It would have been a lot easier to ride a chocobo than to stomp along Mushroom Rock road. Not to mention I could have ran away from Belgemine…

And Odin. Creepy, mysterious, I-can-make-Summoners-and Terra-do-whatever-I-want Odin.

"Since we saved the chocobos from the chocobo Eater, Rin let us rent the chocobos for free this time." Tidus explained before taking a look around. "Where's Belgemine?"

"Back that way," I muttered, gesturing behind me. "No one's allowed onto Mushroom Rock Road, not even Summoners…"

"Wha? Why not?" Wakka asked, scratching his head. By the look on the others' faces, I could tell they were all thinking the same thing.

I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know, something about Operation Mi'ihen, Sinspawn, and Maester's orders." Everyone looked confused, or almost everyone. My eyes drifted back towards where Auron was; I could barely see any of his face between the sunglasses and the grey collar, but his expression looked more annoyed than confused. "They said that after the Operation's over, the road will be open."

"I wonder what's going on?" Yuna said quietly before looking at Tidus beside her, "Can we…?"

Tidus grinned before nodding his head. "Yeah, you betcha! See ya later, Terra!" He gave a wave before nudging his chocobo forward. I waved as the group went by, not really paying attention. Yuna and Tidus…. The way they acted sometimes reminded me a lot of Lenne and Shuyin. Maybe reincarnation was real…. Maybe, in some form, Lenore was still here on Spira as well.

Maybe Yunalesca was Belgemine. It would make perfect sense.

"Where's your weapon, Terra?"

I froze at the question, feeling all the blood drain away from my face. "I-uh," my mind blanked as I looked up and saw Auron in front of me, looking down at me from his chocobo. "It's uh, back with Bel," I said quickly, trying hard to focus with my heart pounding in my ears. "I had to make sure she was safe, you see. You know Summoners can get in a lot of trouble if they can't use their magic, so I figured if I left Bessie with her than she'd be fine. Unless she didn't know how to use Bessie, that might get a bit messy… hehe Bessie, messy…" I trailed off, mentally kicking myself in the rear. _Yeah Terra, real smooth. He can't tell your nervous at all! "_ I should really get back, yeah, you know, protect your Summoner with your whole heart and all that. And I really need to learn how to shut up."

To my surprise, embarrassment, and a small bit of pleasure, he chuckled briefly before offering his hand. I hesitated for a second, a thousand thoughts racing through my mind. _'Why me?'_ was the most prominent one as I accepted his hand, and was quickly pulled atop the chocobo. The Aeons hated me, I now knew that for sure as Auron urged the chocobo into a quick walk. 

I love chocobos; really, I do. They're cute, cuddly, and my kind of pet. However, riding them is another story, especially when I was riding along with someone with nothing to clutch but the soft and very short neck feathers. It's hard to enjoy the ride when you feel like you're about to fall off.

"Why did you leave your Summoner?" Auron's question surprised me, though it might have been his supposedly 'weak' arm wrapping around my waist that made my mind take a moment to comprehend what he said, and a longer one to come up with an answer.

"We…don't exactly see eye to eye," I finally answered. "Sometimes, we need time apart so we don't kill each other." It was about as close to the truth as I could get. For some reason, despite my babbling tendencies, I felt like I couldn't tell anyone what was really going on. Would anyone even believe me? "Actually, I didn't mean to wander out this far, but I guess my feet had different ideas. I should know better than to let my mind wander in the clouds: it always gets me in trouble. Like the time I walked in on Lenne and Shuyin showering and didn't notice until I got clobbered with a Demi spell. And you probably didn't want to hear that."

He stayed silent after that, which only made me more nervous. The silence was heavy, at least for me. The ther was the faint nausea from the chocobo’s gain, making the few minutes it took to catch up with everyone even worse. There was a brief moment of relieve when we rounded the corner and I caught sight of Yuna and Belgime talking. 

The Belgemine notice me, and she did not look pleased. Fantastic. 

Auron dismounted first, and caught me as I more fell than gracefully climbed down. “You not only risk your life, but your Summoner’s as well. Be vigilant and don’t lose focus.”

I was a little stunned at the whisper in my ear, and I could only watch as he joined his Summoner while being far too aware of my heart pounding in my chest. Then Belgemine brought me crashing down to Spira as she stepped into view. 

"You do that again, Terra," she hissed, shoving Bessie back into my arms,"and you will regret it."

"Yes ma'am," I grumbled as she turned and marched back to her spot. I didn't follow, but instead watched everyone around me. The small space was a lot more crowded with the six chocobos, which the lone Al Bhed seemed more than a little surprised and frazzled as she tried to reign them in. Tidus was talking with the two kids in Crusader uniforms; one was taking some gil from him while the other was rummaging in the boxes they were guarding. Lulu, Wakka and Kimarhi were sticking close to Yuna. _"Like any good Guardian would,"_ I thought guiltily. Auron joined their group. Yuna giving a brief smile and nodded her head. A ping of jealousy flared for a brief moment before guilt ate at me as well.

I bit my lip, worrying it a bit with my teeth before I trundled towards Belgemine, who didn't say a word as I took my place by her side. "I-I think I'm sorry," I said quietly. "It's just…really hard for me to adjust, you know. I'm like…a fish trying to figure out how to fly while falling."

There was a long pause before she nodded her head. "Apology accepted," 

I waited a few more moments, expecting more. However, she continued to remain silent. "You know, you could apologize for being so…" My voice cut off after the careless wave of her hand.

Oh yeah, Belgemine was _so_ Yunalesca's counterpart.


	9. Sometimes Crazy, Sometimes Confused, Always Lost

The crowd's chattered died away suddenly, and was replaced by an eerie silence. "Maester Seymour!" the Al Bhed chocobo handler whispered, frightened for some reason as a small group of Guado walked into the clearing. I was used to the gentle-looking Guado back home, but the three Guardians that lead the party seemed anything but gentle or kind. However, the odd, blue- haired Guado seemed pleasant enough, even if he appeared little on the hoity-toity side as he confidently walked along the path. Everyone bowed as he passed and gesturing the 'victory' hand sign. Well, everyone except myself, the Al Bhed, Tidus, and Auron.

Seymour glanced at me with a slight sneer, making me reconsider my first opinion of him. I frowned and crossed my arms pointedly. I wasn't going to be condescended just because I didn't fall on my knees in front of someone I didn't know. However, if he noticed my little rebellion, he gave no notice of it. In fact, as soon as Yuna stood back up, Seymour didn't seem to notice anyone but her.

"Ah, Lady Yuna," Seymour greeted with flourish, even giving a slight bow. I had to admit, the guy had a entrancing voice, reminding me of something smooth yet somehow vaguely meaning as well. "I have heard much about you."

Yuna's clearly didn't know what to do, or say. Her eyes were wide, her mouth covered by her hand in shock. Obviously the dude was pretty important. I kinda wanted to bounce over to her and help her out and take some of the pressure off, but that's what her five Guardians were for.

"Good things, I hope," Tidus said, stepping up beside his Summoner. His arms were crossed defiantly and a distrustful look on his face.

"But of course," the blue haired Maester responded smoothly with a slight nod of his head. "Many of the people of Spira are confident in the High Summoner's daughter." His attention remained on Yuna and Yuna alone. "In addition, they find your name a premonition that you will defeat Sin as Lady Yunalesca before you."

My attention, which was starting to wander, snapped back to attention at the name. Yunalesca? My Yunalesca? She defeated Sin? How could Yunalesca defeat Sin, if Sin was still alive? Was Sin just a type of fiend? Or did he mean that she defeated Sin, but hadn't killed it?

Maybe...maybe he was talking about a different Yunalesca? After all, if Belgemine was right, that was a whole thousand years ago. Yunalesca may have been revered back in Zanarkand, but not enough to be remembered a thousand years later. The thought made me shudder and I prayed briefly to the Fayth that she hadn't become that famous. 

"Will you accompany me to the Command Center, Lady Yuna?" Seymour's question brought me out of my thoughts."I firmly believe that your pilgrimage will be successful, and I promise to do all that's in my power to aid you."

Before Yuna could articulate an answer, Sir Auron stepped forward. "We will escort Yuna," he answered for her with a tone that left no room for argument. First Tidus, and now Auron? Obviously I wasn't the only one who thought something wasn’t quite right with the Maester.

"Understandable," there was a smile in Seymour's voice, though his eyes were cold as ice. "A Guardian must always protect their Summoner…"

"Hey!" I interrupted, rushing towards the group. The Guado Guardians quickly turned towards me, their scary claws ready to defend their Maester. I slid to a stop and put my hands on my hips when Seymour turned towards me. "What about Bel and me? We need to get through too!"

I was acutely aware of everyone's stare, particularly Belgemine's glare that was threatening to burn a hole in my back. My confidence and bravado wavered for a moment but I was determined to _not_ give up. I was not going to wait here until Alexander knew when.

Thankfully and shockingly, Belgemine walked up beside me. Seymour seemed surprised for a moment before offering a tight smile. "Lady Belgemine," he greeted his tone cold as his eyes and lacking that faux sweetness. "How many years has it been since we met last? Ten?"

"I believe so," Belgemine answered with a sickly sweet tone that was by far scarier than anything I had heard from her. "My condolences about your father's death. He was a great man."

That made Seymour hesitate for a brief moment, leaving me to wonder if there wasn't a subtle threat in there somewhere.

"Thank you." He nodded briefly before turning sharply. "Let them pass," he commanded the guards sharply before he and his entourage continued, still with that air of superiority.

I glanced towards Belgemine, expecting to hear a lecture of a lifetime, but was surprised by the distant look on her face. "Bel?" Instantly the look disappeared, replaced by her usual stoic yet slightly displeased expression. 

"Make sure we're stocked on supplies," she said calmly and without any of her usual annoyed intonations. "The fiends ahead will be stronger."

I nodded mutely, already figuring we were in short supply. Without a glance to the others, I headed towards the two children playing the role of shopkeeper pretty well. After giving them a hard time about the price of their items, all in good fun of course, I gave them a few extra gil for the ten potions and two phoenix downs before turning back to Belgemine.

Except she was talking rather privately to Yuna, while the younger Summoner's Guardians stood to the side, also looking rather curious. To me, it looked like Belgemine was patiently explaining something with a kind expression on her face; Yuna was listening closely to whatever wisdom she was imparting, looking awed. My curiosity turned to anxiety when I noticed both of them glancing at me from time to time. Before I could march over there and ask what was going on, Yuna nodded her head one final time, both women smiling.

"Terra," Belgemine beckoned and I meandered towards them. Yuna's Guardians also approached the two Summoners, similarly summoned. Belgemine was collected as usual, but it was easy to tell Yuna was nervous by the way her hands couldn't stay still, despite trying to stand tall and confident.

"What's up?" Tidus asked, breaking the tense silence.

Yuna glanced from the blond to Belgemine, really worrying me. What was going on here? "Lady Belgemine and Lady Terra will accompany us to the Command Center…" she paused, her confidence leaving her as she looked at each of her Guardians meekly. "If that's okay."

"The more the merrier!" Tidus was quickest to side with Yuna, giving the shy girl a grin. The rest quickly gave their consent, the last being Auron, who merely nodded his head when Yuna looked to him.

Strangely, she looked over to me, "Is that okay with you, Lady Terra?"

I paused for a moment, trying to regain my train of thought. Not that I had anything against traveling with them, but it would have been nice if Belgemine would've asked me first. However, I wasn't about to take that out on Yuna. "Just one thing," I said, holding up my finger. "Just call me Terra, okay? No ‘Lady’ or anything."

Yuna seemed surprised for a moment, but readily nodded her head, a smile on her face.   
The guards grudgingly allowed us to pass, and the scenery changed dramatically once we passed around the bend and through a short tunnel. The bright, green trail twisted into a bleak path with little vegetation. It was easy to tell we were closer to the cold ocean by the sudden chill and the smell of salt water. My arms quickly grew cold, and I was envious of the two beside me. Kimahri had his thick blue fur and seemed unaffected by the sudden change. Lulu didn’t seem bothered by it either, despite the fact she had plenty of her chest exposed.

No fiend stood a chance when they tried to ambush us.Wakka, Tidus, Sir Auron at the head of the group easily took care of most of the fiends. Wakka's spiked blitzball shot down any kind of flying monsters, while Tidus proved to be fast enough to kill even the nimble lizard fiends, leaving Auron to deal with the heavily scaled fiends. Yuna and Belgemine took turns healing when needed, especially when the Red Caps popped up, spreading their poisonous pollen everywhere.

Lulu perform the majority of the Black magic needed, while Kimahri and I helped out anyway we could. While the others were specialized in their attacks, we could hit about anything with a little extra aiming. Not that either of us were useful against the elementals, but Kimahri’s spear could pierce the armored fiends while Bessie barely made the thick-skinned fiends flinch. Any other fiend, though, was fair game.

❖❀❖

"Hey, Lulu," I ended the short silence between our little group that formed the rear guard. Neither she or Kimahri talked much, but I easily talked enough for the three of us. 

"Yes?" Lulu answered tiredly. I was pretty sure she was becoming annoyed by my random chatter. Especially when I pointed out that a rock looked like a mushroom, because really, they all did. I just couldn't stay quiet for very long and when I tried, it felt like I would explode.

"Isn't Djose around here?" The tension in her shoulders relaxed slightly, probably grateful for the sensible question. At least, I thought it was reasonable.

"At the end of this road is the Djose temple," she explained with a sight, but I wasn’t satisfied with the answer.

"What about the town? I mean, don't the Guado live around here?" Lulu gave me an odd look that Kimahri echoed, as if to say' _did you really just ask that question?'_

"There has never been a village around the Djose Temple to my knowledge,” she explained carefully, “The Guado settlement of Guadosalam is a day’s journey past the moonflow.”

"Oh…" Crap, I had said the wrong thing. But...Djose was one of the oldest cities in Spira, founded by the Guado in the remains of huge stromatolites that bordered the ocean. Did Sin destroy it too? I looked up at the high walls of the canyon, wondering what kind of fiend could destroy virtually anything, and if Belgemine was right, live for over a thousand years. I didn’t want to thing how many vengeful and hateful spirits it took to form a fiend like that. 

"Did Sin affect your mind that terribly?" Lulu continued to my surprise. "Does it's toxins last for so many years?"

Reflexively, I shrugged before wincing. I was supposed to know the answer to that, wasn't I? "I guess so, I mean…" I grasped at straws as I tried to pull an exuse together. "I-ah, I think I'm perfectly sane, but everyone around me tells me differently or so… But I can't really remember anything before Baaj was destroyed so I don't know if I was always like this, or if it's because of…" I paused, my brain switching gears. "Wait, you mean Sin's poisonous?"

My question echoed off the wall, causing the whole party to stop and look. Belgemine looked like she was going to kill me, while the others gave me the same look Lulu had before. Out of the frying pan, and into Ifrit's Hellfire. For once, I wasn't upset when Belgemine cast silence on me; it was probably the only way to keep me from digging a bigger hole.

"Excuse her," Belgemine started, looking over to Yuna. "Sin's Toxin has left her mind in poor condition."

Okay, maybe I _will_ be upset at Belgemine. There were a lot of excuses she could have used besides calling me insane. I stuck my tongue out at her, which in retrospect didn't help my reputation any but did make me feel a little better.

"And she's your only Guardian?" Wakka asked, sounding rather disbelieving though a dark look from Lulu quickly made him scratch his head, his face bright red.

"She may be confused about some things, but she is an adequate Guardian…"

 _"I AM right here, you know!"_ I threw my arms in the air as I yelled, despite being Silenced. "And I am more than an adequate…" I stopped, surprised by my own sudden screaming. I notice Yuna look sheepish when Belgemine gave her an exasperated look. Did she dispelled Belgemine's Silence? "Thank you!" I told her, grinning. "And I'm not crazy, just confused."

Annoyed, Belgemine shook her head before continuing down the path. Taking her cue, Yuna and the others continued as well but for a moment I remained behind, angry and a little lost. _’Why me?’_ I wondered probably for the hundredth time. Why did I have to go through this? I was completely out of place here, with no friends, forced to follow someone who was completely unsympathetic.

 _‘Life sucks,’_ I grudgingly caught up with the group after a minute, still wondering how much of this I could take before I did go insane.


	10. Follow the Mushroom Rock Road

After my outburst, everyone was quiet. I would have liked to say that the episode was quickly forgotten, but I caught Wakka, Lulu, and Tidus giving me wary looks, while Yuna’s were more pitying. Belgemine, predictably, was ignoring my existence. Kimahri and Auron were the only ones that didn't treat me any differently, so I happily stuck near Kimahri most of the time.

"Kimahri! Terra!" Tidus shouted after a Garuda appeared. I didn't pause before rushing forward, aiming Bessie quickly before firing a shot, my bullet flying straight into the fiend's large leathery wing. That always seemed to piss them off the most, meaning their focus was on killing me and not on Tidus running towards it or his sword until it was slicing into the fiend. The Garuda roared and tried to peck the quick blitzball player with its oversized beak, but missed as Wakka’s blitzball slammed into its head. Kimahri thrust his spear into the underbelly of the fiend. Sufficiently enraged, the Garuda furiously flapped its large wings a few times, gathering its own magic to send a gust of wind strong enough to push everyone back a few feet as well as kick up the loose dirt and stones that pummeled us as well.

My knees were weak extreme from the near-constant fighting, but I seemed to be the only one tired. Tidus darted in for another strike, and Auron rushed towards the fiend closely afterwards. I gathered the last of my energy and forced myself to stand before I fired Bessie again. The bullet hit the fiend's wing seconds before the heavy sword nearly cleaved the limb in two. The fiend faltered in the air with a hideous screech before Kimahri used his blue magic to send a giant seed that finished the fiend off once and for all.

 

"Can that be the last one?" I whined as I collapsed onto the ground, sprawled out as I looked up at the grey skies above. I was not enjoying this one bit, and I'd hate to think what it would be like if it was just Belgemine and I. Next to me, Tidus stuck his sword in the ground before sitting down, also exhausted.

"I agree with Terra: this is getting annoying!"

Eventually, everyone else took a seat on the ground to take an impromptu rest. Well, almost everyone. Belgemine didn't sit down, but leaned against the stonewall, while Kimahri and Auron kept an eye out for more fiends, stoic as ever.

"It shouldn't be much farther," Yuna added quietly from her place next to Lulu. "Lady Lucil said we were almost there."

"Do you call everyone ‘Lady’?" I wondered aloud as I looked to the sky. I didn't see her reaction, but heard the uncomfortable silence that followed. I really needed a filter for my mouth.

"It shows proper respect," Yuna answered after a moment, firm though still soft. "The Chocobo Knights, along with the Crusaders, and Guardians, deserve our utmost respect for all they do."

I looked back over at her, seeing her lips pressed together. I really shouldn't be mean to her; she was nice, especially compared to Belgemine.

"Sorry Yuna. I'm just not used to it." Back in Zanarkand, it didn't matter if you were a Guardian, a soldier, a Summoner, or a random civilian: you were treated the same way. Only those in power got fancy titles. Like Yu Yevon and Yunalesca.

My mood was becoming rather gloomy, which I blamed on the dismal surroundings. Except for the bright machina on the mushroom lifts, this place needed some color, or at least some sunshine. Heck, even if it rained it would it feel ten times better. I smiled at the thought, thinking mostly how everyone would react if I ran around jumping in puddles. However, my mind decided to stray and brought me back to another rainy day, and I glanced over at Sir Auron. I had to admit, it was hard not to ask, "Have you ever been to Zanarkand?" whenever I was close to him. It was just so eerie how much the two were alike. Looks, voice, mannerisms, even the same dry humor. I was questioning Belgemine's whole 'it's been over a thousand years' thing once more, just because of him. But he still treated me like a stranger, barely even acknowledging me except if absolutely necessary in a fight. 

"We should keep moving," you-know-who said as he shouldered his large blade. I grumbled as I climbed to my feet, grabbing Bessie's strap before becoming distracted as I watched Lulu wave off Wakka's attempt to help her up. I couldn’t but wonder how her dress managed to stay up when it hung so loosely around her ample chest. Maybe there was a spell for that. It was probably the same way Yunalesca managed to keep her 'clothes' on.

I shook my head, disgusted with myself. Why did I keep thinking about that evil incarnate? Ever since Seymour mentioned her, she kept popping into my head at the oddest times. And I _really_ didn't want to think about how her bits stayed in the piece of cloth she called a top. That was just...ew.

"Terra," Lulu said, thankfully derailing that particularly nasty train of thought. "Why don't you switch places with Wakka?"

Automatically, I wanted to say no. To be up there with Sir Auron and Shuyin's look alike was just asking for trouble. However, the scary look Lulu gave me that implied her question was more of a statement making me grin and nod my head.

Lulu glanced towards Belgemine, who had a pointed look that I just beamed at before catching up with Tidus and Auron at the front of the group.

"I think I annoyed Lulu too much," I said as we marched on. I could feel my stomach squirming from nerves just after a second in being in the boys' presence. "I don't think she likes playing 'I spy.' Especially when there was just rocks and moss. Or fiends. She really hadn't been keen on the Gandarewa that had appeared out of nowhere.”

"She's like that," Tidus answered with a grin. "I'm surprised she didn't cast a spell on you. She about fried me on our way to the temple in Kilika after I failed to get the hint."

A real smile broke out across my face. "Ifrit's temple's still there, right? He is one of my favorite Aeons. Next to Alexander, of course!"

Tidus nodded his head. "Yeah. I wasn't supposed to go into the Cloister of Trials, since I wasn't a Guardian yet, but Dona's burly Guardian practically tossed me onto the elevator. Lulu was so upset. I thought she was going to kill me!"

I could easily imagine that, even though I barely knew these people. "Did you get in trouble with the temple?"

Tidus shook his head, "I don't think they realized I wasn't a Guardian. Which is a good thing, I guess… How much trouble would Yuna have been in?"

I frowned. Back in Zanarkand, and in Gagazet as well, you had to attest to being a Guardian before you were even allowed past the main prayer room. There were hoops and paperwork involved...which I doubt was the case here.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "A lot has changed since Baaj." It had changed a lot since Zanarkand, but I couldn't exactly say that, could I.

I glanced past Tidus to the silent Guardian. It would be so easy to ask, but… I was scared to. If I didn't ask, I could keep on pretending in my head he was the same guy; that Belgemine had been lying. That Lenore was home, in Zanarkand, waiting for me to come back. It sounded pathetic, especially since I knew it was a lie, but it helped fueled my determination to dream that when I finish this trek, I could return home to my sister and our friends. 

Living a dream wasn't too bad, until it was time to wake up.

❖❀❖

I had lost track of time while talking with Tidus. It started just sharing our experience as Guardians, and as it turned out, he had been a Guardian for less time than myself. Which was hard to believe. His skill with his sword were far past that of a novice, and he was an excellent leader. Eventually, the conversation led to Blitzball and had dissolved in a friendly but heated argument about the game. More than once I had been close to slipping up and saying something about my real home, but managed to catch myself. What was strange the distinct feeling he was hiding something as well as he stumbled over words or just trailed off.

It wasn’t long before we were at the end of the path with another mushroom lift. After a little mental celebration and thankful prayer to Alexander, I flopped down on a comfortable-looking rock, letting my feet have a break while the others rode the water powered lift in groups of three. First up was Tidus, Yuna, and Kimahri, followed not-really-shortly by Lulu, Wakka, and Belgemine. I glared at the Summoner as she stepped daintily on to the platform seconds before it started to rumble and slowly rise.

It had been hard enough walking between Auron and Tidus, though the blond blitzer made it a smidge easier. Thankfully besides looks and love of Blitzball, Tidus and Shuyin weren't that much alike. Tidus was chipper, easy going yet a born leader. There was none of Shuyin’s simmering temper or haughty attitude. However, Sir Silent on the other side…

I wasn't even going to go there again. Not again. I just would chase my thought in circles until i was mentally and physically dizzy.

There was a thick silence between us, and I was determined not to break it. Every time I talked to him, it was a situation of 'open mouth and insert foot'.

…

Okay, so I talked to him twice, for maybe a grand total of a minute. But still, it never seemed to end well. I would ramble, pissing off Belgemine (which, really, wasn't that much of a bad thing), and making a general fool of myself. Considering I still wanted to make a good impression, keeping my mouth shut seemed like a good idea. 

Of course, my reasoning didn't extend to _not_ playing with Bessie. I rubbed the dust and caked-on mud off and assured the barrel was clean and then inspected the trigger because I was bored out of mind. 

"I would try to keep your weapon out of sight." I about jumped out of my skin when Sir Auron spoke, and accidentally fired Bessie. The bullet flew far, the band echoing along with a sudden screech from a chocobo further down the road. I swear my face was as red as his coat when I looked over to Sir Auron and saw one eyebrow peeking up from behind his sunglasses.

"I uh, don't exactly have many places to hide it," I stammered carefully pulling the worn strap over my shoulder. Even with her nestled beneath my arm, there was no missing her.

There was a slight noise- either a huff of amusement or, more likely, a sigh. I tensed as he stepped closer, but offered not fight as he slipped Bessie away from me. There was a brief moment of confusions and slight admitted fear as he pulled my vest back...before shoving the machina beneath it tucked between my arm and side. 

I was stunned for a moment, brain nearly fried. The stone lift had returned and Sir Auron paid me no mind as he stepped on, until it started with a brumble, with me still frozen in place. “Terra.” 

That brought me back to Spira. I hurriedly jumped on to it, thankful it was so slow to move. The I cursed the fame fact as a tense silence fell between us. Bessie felt odd in her new place. She wasn’t completely hidden, but it wasn’t as conspicuous as before. 

I hoped. 

After what felt like forever, the rock came to a halt at a plateau. No one but a few crusaders in sight. “Sir Auron! Lady Terra!” Yun a called out, waving down to us from above, where she leaned over the railing of a metal balcony.  
“Again?” I whined, spotting another lift this one machina, thankfully. “And no ‘Lady’!”

When the much faster lift made it to the top, the others were waiting. Belgemine had a dark look aimed at me, and I did my best to ignore it. 

While the path below had been all but barren of life, other than fiends, the cliff overlooking the ocean was a flurry of activity. Crusaders and Al Bhed were rushing back and forth, shouting orders in two languages which rattled my head. Chocobo knights were encouraging their chocobos to move cannons and other machina that the Al Bhed alone were not working on. Not one seemed to notice our 'small' group.

Everyone said machina was forbidden, but it was everywhere. Cannons, a large tower, hand- held machina tools being used exclusively by the Al Bhed. "Didn't you say machina was forbidden?" I asked Wakka as I walked up next to him, a little less careful about hiding Bessie.

Wakka acted life he didn’t hear me as he gaped his face turning beet red. 

"They are," Lulu answered coldly, before shaking her head and muttereing under her breath, "Why has Yevon allowed this?"

"Why are they working with the Al Bhed!" Wakka suddenly spat out, glaring hatefully at the crowd.

"What's wrong with the Al Bhed?" I crossed my arms and looked pointedly at the red head. “They’ve been nothing but nice to us!” 

Wakka's face turned a brighter shade of red, "What-what’s wrong with the Al Bhed? You’re kidding me, right? Those heathens and their stupid machina is the cause of all of this! They’re the reason Sin keeps coming back!” 

“How can they be blamed? It’s a fiend! And machina being responsible is absolutely silly!”

"Terra!" Belgemine snarled as she grabbed the back of my vest, too drained to cast a silence spell but strong enough to yank me back a few steps. "You will be _silent!_ "

I took a moment relishing in the fact that Belgemine couldn't force me to be silent. For once, I could argue. "No,” I snapped back, ripping away from her hands on my hips and Bessie in plain sight. I felt everyone’s eyes were on us and I couldn’t care less. “I want to know what's changed."

"Lady Yuna!" The Chocobo Knight Lucil appeared out of the chaos, riding high on her chocobo, Belgemine seemed glad for the interrupting. "Maester Seymour and Maester Kinoc are waiting for you at the command center."

"Maester Kinoc?" Yuna put her hand to her mouth, looking absolutely starstuck, As did Lulu and Wakka. Belgemine seemed to pale at the name, however. 

"Yes," Lucil confirmed. "I suggest you hurry; Sin could appear at any moment." Without another word, the Chocobo Knight turned and continued on her way, leaving a muted silence in place of our forgotten argument. Yuna turned towards us, a pleading look on her face, silently asking our opinion on what she should do.

Lulu took charge, and put a reassuring hand on the teen's shoulder."We shouldn't keep the Maesters waiting."

"Right." Yuna’s answer was barely a whisper as she nodded her head. Belgemine still had a tight grip on my vest, preventing me from following. 

"What?" I meant to ask, but the word died half-formed on my lips. I honestly had never seen such a furious expression on anyone's face, let alone Belgemine.

"You _will_ behave yourself, Terra,” she snarled. “The Maesters will easily call our bluff, especially Kinoc. Unless you want to face a firing squad, you will be silent."

A firing squad? My mood took a nosedive, my face paling at the thought. "A-an actual firing squad? As in, boom, dead Terra?"

"Yes." With that, she stormed after the others, leaving me alone. Sentenced to death, just because I had that different of an opinion? Sounded eerily a lot like Bevelle to me.


	11. Watching Sin Rise

The command center was nothing more than a large tent pitched in the middle of the plateau. The tarp covering the top had been partially rolled back revealing the stormy sky above. The others stood to the side, talking quietly until a Crusader came in, commanding attention with a salute. “Presenting Maester Kinoc of Yevon.”

Everyone bowed with their prayer-gesture. Well, almost everyone. Tidus and I just looked at eachother, reinforcing the idea he didn’t quite fit in either. Then there was brooding Sir Auron who stood apart from the others.

“Thank you,” the balding man said, a cheery smile on his chubby face, though my attention was caught on the garish yellow robe that did nothing pleasant for his rotund figure. His beady eyes glanced over at us, pausing on Belgemine before noticing Sir Auron. 

I watched in absolute shock as Kinoc’s smile faded briefly before becoming several times brighter as he quickly made his way towards Sir Auron. “It’s been ten years, I had feared the worst.”

Sir Auron was stiff and uncomfortable, but allowed the Maester to pull him into a firm hug.

"Who is that again?" I muttered, but Tidus only shrugged, looking as clueless and surprised as I felt. 

"That's Wen Kinoc, one of the four Maesters of Yevon," Lulu answered quietly from behind us. "He leads the warrior monks, and also commands the Crusaders." Her red eyes gave me a skeptical look when I glanced back at her. "You should know this. You were a warrior monk at Baaj, were you not?"

"Yeah," I quickly defended my lie with enthusiasm. "But that was years ago! And before Sin!"

She gave me a look before she shook her head disbelievingly but allowed the subject drop. I shrugged my shoulders before sharing a look with Tidus, who shrugged his shoulders as well. Why didn't he know who the Maester was? These Maesters were pretty important people, weren't they?

But more pressingly, why did he get to hug Auron? I wanted to hug him too….

Except he wasn’t my Auron.

The Crusader that had been guarding the entrance stepped inside, giving a normal salute to Kinoc. There was a cold expression on his face, and a frustrated tone in his voice as he barked, "All troops ready to move at your command, sir."

Kinoc nodded, "Good. Dismissed." He turned to leave, only to notice Belgemine who was standing next to the entrance to the tent, a dark look on her face. "Lady Belgemine," he welcomed, "I’m surprised

 

to see you. We assumed you and your husband died after trespassing into Omega Ruins."

"You know what they say about assumptions," she said carefully and coldly. "And at the time, Carmo and I had Yevon's full approval to enter into the ruins. I remember you even escorted us there."

"You may remember it that way, but Yevon still forbids all from entering," Kinoc said cryptically. "What have you been up to since, and where is your husband?"

Belgemine folded her arms protectively in front of her, a shadow crossing her features. Not anger, but sorrow. "Carmo is dead, and I have been… wandering Spira."

There was a tone of finality in her somber voice, and Kinoc only nodded before looking towards Auron, "And what about you, Auron? You didn't give me an answer as to if you've seen Zanarkand." That grabbed my attention as my eyes shot towards the man, who merely snorted and glared towards Kinoc.

"We don't have time for this now, do we?" 

Kinoc answered with a hearty, yet oddly fake, laugh. "You know this plan won't work." The derision in his tone shocked all of us along with his words. Everyone seemed so gung-ho about the operation, pouring their heart and soul into it. "We'll just let them dream a little longer."

That made my stomach turn, for whatever reason. Dream… about what? Freedom from Sin? That was just cruel. It kindled something in my heart, sparking my temper. "Hey!" 

"What?" Tidus stepped forward as well, looking both confused and affronted. 

Kinoc turned towards us a little shocked at our outburst. However, before he could confront us, Seymour made an appearance. “Kinoc, your attention is required.”

“Very well,” Kinoc nodded. Seymour waited at the tent flap, his odd stare focused on Yuna. Her red face was proof she noticed but her gaze kept firmly on her boots until he left beside Kinoc. Immediately the tension left her shoulders as she turned to Lulu, her face still cherry-red.

Well, that was...something.

I turned to Belgemine beside me, about to ask if she knew what Kinoc was talking about. Except the Summoner seemed withdrawn, her arms still wrapped tightly around her waist and her dark eyes glassy. “Uh, Bel?” I asked, snapping her out of whatever thoughts were plaguing her.

“Not now, Terra. Please.” Her voice was soft. Pleading. It made my gut turn; as much as I disliked her, seeing her like this didn’t sit well with me. I was used to cold, strong Belgemine that didn’t cry or worry at anything. Instead of poking and prodding an answer from her, I left her to her thoughts. The others were quietly talking in a tight huddle, which left Auron, _Sir_ Auron. He still looked rather annoyed as he glared where Kinoc and Seymour had disappeared. 

Despite that, I sidled next to him. “So, uh, not to pry or anything,” I started casually, or at least attempted casualness. “ But...have you been to Zanarkand? Is it...is it really just...ruins?” My heart was in my throat as I waited patiently. Well, sorta. My leg was jittery as I fiddled with a stray thread from my vest. 

He glanced over at me, peering above his sunglasses with his lone eye, and I wondered for probably the hundredth time how he managed to have the same scar as my Auron. "If you were a warrior monk, you would know that." His words shocked me. I tensed, mouth open and ready to defend myself before he shook his head. "It doesn't matter to me what the truth is."

"I…I….” A sighed escaped me as I slid to the ground and hugged my knees. Belgemine’s threat still echoing in my head. "You won't tell anyone, right?"

"No," he answered, leaving a somewhat tense silence to afterwards.

"You're friends with Kinoc, I take it?" I suddenly asked to distract myself from my thoughts, my eyes focused on the shiny green pebble at my feet. "I mean, I don't imagine you'd let random men give you hugs." 

Although, if I could get away with one that would definitely make my day. Even if he wasn’t my Auron, I could always pretend. Maybe I should try that later. After I made sure I had an escape plan

Auron's harsh laugh ended those thoughts, surprising me. "Not exactly." I looked up at his derisive tone, drastically rethinking my plan as he shook his head. "Kinoc, a Maester? What could Mika have been thinking?"

"I heard that, Auron." Kinoc’s sudden appearance made me jump to my feet, terrified. I hadn't noticed him sneak up on us. But Auron...probably had. And then had laughed in Kinoc’s face. "A lot has happened in the last ten years." The Maester repeated himself, giving Auron a critical look, though a faint smile remained on his face. "What were you doing, and where?"

"Fulfilling a promise to a friend." Auron answered shortly, shifting his weight. "I still am."

I stared in shock as Auron turned and stormed off. He couldn't...he couldn’t be Auron. He couldn't be my Auron. There was no way. It was impossible!

But those were the same words he had said to me when I asked him why he was in Zanarkand.

He wasn't… He couldn't be…

Could he?

"You must be Belgemine's new Guardian." I looked over at Kinoc, my mind still in disarray.

"Uh, yeah, sort of," I answered slowly. "Um, my name's Terra." I offered a shaky smile and a hand, which I dropped after a moment of him staring at it with a slight sneer.

"You were a warrior monk?" he asked, his eyes landing on Bessie, who rested on the ground by my feet. Crap. I quickly swooped down and picked the shotgun, holstering it over my shoulder, any thoughts of hiding her gone.

"Um, yeah. Baaj. Before it was destroyed, you know."

There was a pause, his eyes flashing slight before he smiled widely. "You must have known Lady Anima and Maester Seymour then." 

Oh. Crap.

"I, uh, can't really remember,” I explained quickly, hoping he’d believed the same lie as everyone else. “When Sin attacked, it kinda messed my head up…" I grinned nervously as I knocked my head slightly with my knuckles. "First thing I really remember is being on Sanubia, just me and Bessie here."

The smile on his face dimmed, the humor fading into something more serios. Grim. I was pretty sure I was in some serious trouble. Except before he could say or accuse me of lying, another Crusader rushed into the tent. "We’re ready to begin," the Crusader announced loudly. "The fiends may break through. Make sure you’re prepared."

"Excuse me," Kinoc said briskly before following the Crusader out the tent. 

Belgemine appeared almost instantly at my side."Be careful around them," she warned me belatedly, “Remember, transgression means death.”

"I know," I said quietly, which seemed to surprise her. Most of her anger was displaced by a shocked yet critical look. "You don't like him either, do you?"  
Belgemine paused looking towards where Kinoc had disappeared. "No, but I also no longer agree with Yevon's teachings."

Shortly after that, the Crusader from before appeared once more, "Are you prepared? Sin will be here soon."

Yuna looked back us, and Belgemine nodded her head slightly. "Yes we are. but...is Sin really going to come?"

The Crusader nodded before motioning towards the cliff, where several fiends were stuffed in a metal cage, which was being hoisted out over the ocean. "Sin always returns for its spawn. But to assure its arrival, we're going to encourage them to call out."

"You won't have to," Auron interjected darkly from his spot. "It'll come."

I frowned, wondering what he meant for a moment, but only for a heartbeat. The Sin Spawn's prison flashed to life as electricity coursed through it. I stumbled as the fiends screamed, and would have fallen down if Belgemine hadn't caught me. Their cries were so heart wrenching; my breath caught in my throat as a sob as I grabbed at Belgemine. "Make it stop," I cried as I buried my face in her dress. "Bel! Make it _stop!_ "

The screaming stopped and was replaced by an angered roar. I looked up in time to see the Sin Spawn jump from its cage to the rock before us. Somehow the fiends had merged together into one, giant insect like fiend. Crusaders were poised to fight, only for Yuna’s Guardians to rush forward. I still clung to Belgemine, feeling faint. 

"You don't have to fight," Belgemine said quietly. "If being near Sin Spawn bothers you, perhaps it’s best you don’t."

Part of me wanted to take the offer and flee. I wanted to get far, far away from the fiend. Something about chilled me to the bone, disturbed the deepest part of my soul.

But I didn't want to be a coward. I had to prove myself. I couldn't be scared witless because of a _fiend._ I shook my head, my hands shaking as I let go of her dress and stepped away from her. I picked Bessie up from where she fell before gathering my courage and rushed into battle.

"Aim for the head!" Auron shouted when I slid to a stop next to him. I spared no time before firing towards the creepy centipede head high above us. Anger at myself and the fiend spurred me on, making my hands work faster as I fired round after round into the fiend.

Unfortunately, the Sin Spawn seemed at least twice as strong as the chocobo Eater we had faced earlier. Tidus' sword did little damage to its thick armor-like arms, and Kimahri and Auron's own piercing weapons fared little better. Its head was the weak point. Well, I suppose technically it had two heads. The centipede that wiggled and squirmed high above, and the face at its base that its arms protected. Both of them seemed to be the place to hit, but each had their own defenses.

Its thunder spell struck with little warning, though after the first strike Yuna was sure to have a Nul-Shock cast on each of us. There was no protection spell from the Demi that quickly followed that slowly but surely sucked the life out of us. The Demi alone couldn't kill us, but its thick leathery arms wanted to finish the job as they swiped at us. Not just a small little swipes either, they could send us flying back, the rocks and sand helping the fiend as we were drove into the ground.

"Terra!" Wakka yelled as I went flying back into the dirt after one such occurrence. I spat out sand as I sat up, bullheaded determination still overriding any common sense I had. I picked up Bessie and ran back into the fray, continuing my salvo. Its centipede head started to rock strangely back and forth, which I barely even noticed as I tried to fire rounds into it. It suddenly reared back before spewing brown goop at Belgemine. Despite the situation, I paused to look towards the Summoner with a grin as she calmly wiped the thick slime off her face and cast an Esuna.

"Move," she commanded quietly as she stepped forward. Everyone quickly moved back as she began to summon. She had let Yuna perform all summons so far, and mainly stuck to healing.Apparently even she had a limit.

She spread her arms wide before thrusting them towards the fiend. Dark purple magic shot from her hands, etching runes in the air as a familiar cloud of darkness gathered.

"Not him," I breathed, cringing a little as Sleipnir stepped out of the darkness, along with the dark knight.

"What Aeon is that?" Yuna asked in amazement.

"Odin," I answered with a scared whimper, "The knight of darkness, powerful enough to rival Holy Alexander. He rides on his eight legged horse Sleipnir to destroy his enemies with his Zantetsuken." All I could think about at the moment was our encounter on the Highroad. I really didn't want to feel his sword posed at my neck, ready to slice me in two.

Odin decided this time to act like a normal summon, and charged at the Sinspawn without a word. His dark blade ripped straight through the fiend as if it was nothing. The fiend gave a piercing cry like before, somehow wrenching my heart despite my anger and hatred. Instead of pyreflies, the fiend collapsed onto the ground, turning grey before fading into nothing.

The dark Aeon turned towards us, his fiery red eyes glaring right at me. "I know," I whispered, wishing I had the strength to look away. Except I couldn’t. All I knew was I would do my 'duty', whatever it was. I was to find the Aeons that had been lost, but how was I supposed to do that? Either way, Odin seemed to be satisfied, and held on to Sleipnir's reigns as the horse reared towards the grey sky with a whinny before bursting into hundreds of pyreflies. 

Before we could celebrate the victory, we heard several shouts, all of the same word.

"SIN!"

The fiend was colossal, far larger than I had imagined, with a thick brown hide. Not fancy or intimidating at all, other than its massive size. 

But there was no doubt it was the same fiend. The same fiend that destroyed my home. I was numb as the cannons fired while screams and shouts filled the air as the Crusaders,   
The Chocobo Knights, and Al Bhed threw all they had at the beast. 

No. I wasn’t numb. I was angry. Rage bubbled in my chest, quickly overcoming everything else. This _thing_ destroyed Zanarkand. It killed everyone. My sister. My friends. Countless lives all over Spira. All the ruins, the backwards culture, all of it was because of Sin. 

The pressure in my heart erupted as a sudden scream. I was barely cognizant of anything other than Sin, and the fact I wanted it dead. I needed it dead. I would kill it with my own two hands if I had to. As long as it was dead, and stayed dead. 

A strong hand wrapped around my wrist as I rushed towards Sin. Out of instinct, I fought back, arms thrashing against my attacker. I didn’t care who it was, didn’t even give it a thought. All I cared was the fact they were stopping my from destroying Sin; from getting revenge for my fiends, my home, my sister. 

“Terra! Stop.”

The deep commanding voice made my pause, the red haze lifting slightly.

No, that was red fabric. A coat.

I looked up at a familiar face; my vision was swimming but I was still able to recognize Auron, and a bright red mark near his scarred eye. My mind was slowly piecing two and two together, when suddenly the earth exploded.

I mean, literally. It exploded.


	12. Aftermath

_"The Phoenix is the Aeon of Rebirth,” my mother recited quietly. "Where there is death, she brings life. Where there is despair, she brings hope. Where there is feuding she brings peace. Where there is hatred she brings…"_

_"Shut up, Mom," I grumbled, virtually a pout as I crossed my arms like a child, trying to ignore her presence behind me. "Phoenix may be your favorite Aeon, but she's not mine."_

_"My feisty little girl," mother only laughed, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You were so full of Hellfire that I sometimes wondered if Ifrit would call to you to be his priestess." I paused at her words, her soothing touch striking a chord in me. I gave in as I turned and gripped her in a tight hug. Yes, I was often at ends with my mother, but right now, I was so confused, so lost, I needed her. "It'll be okay, my little mudpuppy,” she soothed softly. “Just stay strong."_

❖❀❖

When I came to, I found myself underwater. I panicked for a long moment before I quickly swam to the surface. The first big gulp of air felt like bliss until I began coughing. Between hacking coughs, I managed to swim towards the ruined shoreline that seemed like a million miles away before collapsing gratefully in the sand. I felt like a herd of Shoopufs had a parade across my body and Bombs had exploded in both my head and chest. Add to the fact the sick feeling that rushed through me as I remembered the few moments before I lost consciousness. All that hatred and anger.I had wanted to kill Sin so badly I would’ve done anything to destroy it. Auron...Auron was involved somehow. Everything was such a blur of hate and rage, with him stuck inside the mess.

Alexander, I was a wreck.

Scratch that, I was a catastrophe the size of the Holy Aeon himself.

"Terra!" I looked up from the sand and saw Tidus running across the sandy wreckage towards me. "Are you okay?"

"F-fine!" I answered with one last cough before climbing to my feet. "What about the others?" It was too easy to lose myself in a pity part. I had to have something to distract me.

Instead of answering, he looked back out over the ocean. I was confused until I saw Yuna was dancing on the water, thousands of pyreflies swirling around in a hurricane of colors. Never in my life had I seen such a Sending. The sheer number of the Pyreflies made the ritual beautiful, but even more haunting. How many had lost their lives here today? How close had I been in joining them?

"I don't like to watch her dance," Tidus admitted quietly after a long moment.

"Sendings are hard to watch," I agreed just as somberly. I had watched my sister and friends perform the ancient rite, and usually that was just a few lives lost in some form of an accident. Lenore had once told me that she could _feel_ all the emotions of the souls she was Sending. One story stuck in my mind where a family had crashed into the automated tram, but only the eldest child of three had died. The boy, so angry that only he died and not his younger siblings, had nearly became a fiend.

_"Just a little bit longer," Lenore cried into my shoulder. "He wanted to hurt them, Terra. He wanted to kill them! If he couldn't be with his parents, he didn’t think his brother and sister should either. I had never felt that much hatred before."_

What kind of pain was Yuna feeling now? Were those souls full of the same hatred and anger? It had to be so overwhelming. She had to have a will of iron to continue and dance despite it all.

"Come on, the others are waiting for us." Tidus said after a somber moment. I nodded, looking away from Yuna to the group gathered further down the sandy beach. 

"What happened?" I asked as we walked down the shoreline, trying to sort everything out in my head and coming up short. "I just remember a big flash then boom, I'm drowning."

Tidus looked at me as if I had grown a second head, "You don't remember trying to jump off the cliff?" I shook my head, and a small smile appeared on his face. "Yeah, you went totally berserk after Sin appeared. You went wild and ran towards Sin, iff Auron hadn't caught you, you would've ran right off the cliff!"

My stomach squirmed as very foggy and hazy memories tried to surface. I could remember being angry and enraged, and fighting against...something. Was that where Auron came in? "Auron...saved me?"

"And earned a right hook for it," his smile grew to a grin. "I have never seen anyone catch him by surprise like that! All a sudden you turned and _pow!_ " He slammed his fist into his open palm for demonstration. I was pretty sure I was as white as snow at this point.

"I…punched…Auron."

"Yep! But don't worry, Bel healed him."

I stopped and turned to Tidus, my hands on his shoulders as I shook him "I punched AURON. How is that okay? Oh Alexander, he probably hates me now! How could I have done something like that? He had saved my life! And I punched him!” My mind couldn't seem to grasp that thought. I didn't punch people, let alone people I liked. And especially Auron! He was…Auron!

Except he wasn’t my Auron.

Tidus' grin faded away as I let go of him, my gut clenching. "Are you okay?"

"No," I whined. "Could this day get any worse?"

"It could be raining," he pointed out, and I just glared at him halfheartedly. Right now, rain would actually be fantastic. "Anyways, Lulu said Djose temple isn't too far from here, if we hurry we can make it by nightfall."

Belgemine was the first to notice us approaching, and a look of relief spread across her face for a moment when she saw us. But only for a moment before her usual cold, angry expression returned. I returned her glare with a chipper grin. "Hey-ya!"

"Your performance as a Guardian was unacceptable," Belgemine started as she stalked towards me. "What were you thinking, Terra?"

That Sin destroyed everything I knew and had thrown me into a hellish mirror world. That it was the reason why my sister was dead, my friends were Fayth, and I had Yunalesca's reincarnation as my Summoner. I still had an urge to scream, as well as a new vigor to destroy Sin. Not just because I had to, but because I needed too. "That it was the reason I'm stuck with you," I gave a grin at her darkening look. I tried my best not to notice the shocked and even appalled looks I received from not only Yuna's Guardians, but the few survivors mulling around, trying to help each other.

"Oh come on, we need some laughs!" I proclaimed loudly in a rebuttal of the condemnation. "What good is moping about? It won't change anything!"

"You should at least pay respect to those have died," Lulu scolded, her frosty glare matching Belgemine’s. "They gave their life in attempt to save Spira from Sin. They deserve solemn reverence."

I crossed my arms, "I know that! But back in Zan"-crap-"I mean Baaj, we didn't mourn our loss, but celebrated their life! I mean, if I died saving someone, I don't want them to mope. I want them to live, smile, and be happy!"

"You are one messed up girl, ya?" Wakka muttered, and I made sure to give my biggest grin.

"I agree with Lady Terra," Yuna's soft voice cut through the tense situation as she joined us, looking worn and weary. I wondered if my forced smile was as obvious as her own. "That's why I became a Summoner-so people can lead their lives in peace and happiness, not in mourning."

"Yeah, but you're not gonna die, Yuna!" Tidus claimed quite adamantly, and to my confusion, everyone else seemed to flinch a little. "That's why you have us, to protect you!"

Yuna's smile brightened a little, becoming a little less strained. "You're right."

“As amusing as this conversation is," Belgemine said almost sarcastically, which only confused me more. "We should leave if we wish to reach Djose before nightfall."

I hung towards the back as our group began the trek towards the road, knowing I wasn't the most liked person at the moment. That, and it was kind of interesting watching the others. Tidus and Yuna took the front, the two teens talking. I would say "quietly," but I don't think Tidus had a volume setting below loud. Only a few feet behind, Kimahri kept sentry over the two like a big blue guard dog.

I was pretty sure if I ever said that, I wouldn't be anything more than a smear on the ground. Ronsos, at least what I had learned from books and lectures, were very prideful people. And they didn't like being compared to animals despite their appearances. I had never actually really known any to ever test that...but after seeing what he could do, I wasn’t exactly eager to try. 

I really didn't want to know what Lulu and Belgemine were talking about in hushed whispers. Wakka did, however, and kept getting stung by some kind of black magic every time they noticed his attempts to eavesdrop. And since the Blitzball player wasn't the subtlest person, it was quite often.

And then there was Auron, walking beside me. I don’t know if I fell instep beside him or if he chose to walk so close. My heart jammed in my throat as I tried to end the uneasy (for me, anyways) silence. But really, what was I supposed to say to the guy I apparently clocked when he was trying to save my life? Sorry didn't seem strong enough. Neither did thank you.

But since no other ideas were popping up in my head, I had no choice. "Tidus told me I punched you," I started, finally breaking the silence. "Um, I don't think there's a word to say how sorry I am."

My apology was met with stony silence, making me wonder how angry I had made him. "I mean, I am really, really sorry," I begun to babble. "I mean, you were trying to stop me from jumping off the cliff. You saved my life, and in return got a left hook. Or was it a right hook? Either way, I guess I should be thankful you're not one to hold grudges…or are you? I guess I don't really know. Can I just ask that if you do decide to carry out revenge, can it not involve weapons? I mean, your sword is as big as I am. And with those muscles of yours, I'm sure it would be a one-hit K.O. if you decided to punch me. But I guess I really don't have a…"

"Terra," his deep voice cut off my rant. I winced a little as I looked over at him. His sunglasses had slid down his nose a little, and his lone eye was giving me warning look that practically said 'be quiet.'

"Yes?" I squeaked meekly, trying to give small smile. It didn't even want to think how it really looked. Probably like my cheek muscles were having a spasm attack.

"You're forgiven."

My squeal of joy echoed through the road, and before I could even think about it I had practically pounced on him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you!" I jabbered before Auron eventually pried me off his side. That was when I realized I had virtually glomped the poor man. And I was still alive.

That was just plain awesome.

I was going to have to do that again.


	13. A Night of Dinner, Ixion, and Guns

I missed Bessie.

It wasn't until we were halfway to Djose that I realized my trusty shotgun was gone, and I had been prevented from returning to search for it. And by that, I meant Wakka had grabbed one arm, and Tidus the other before they had dragged me down the Djose Highroad when I had tried to back track to the beach. I had felt everyone's eyes on me, but it stop me from kicking and complaining loudly. I lost my Bessie! How was I supposed to fight now? I was fiend bait! Especially for the basilisks that seemed to flood the dirt road. I was really getting tired of being petrified in weird poses and being stuck like that for a good ten to fifteen minutes while the others were too busy to use a soft or Esuna.

Even as I sat on the edge of the bridge leading to the thunder temple, I contemplated taking my chances and returning to the beach. I knew that I would die before I reached my destination, but what use was I without my shotgun? And it wasn't like I could get another one. After all, my attempt to buy one had failed spectacularly. I winced as I remembered the reaction when I walked up to the shop-keeping acolyte and asked about a new gun.

_"Something kinda heavy, has those nifty magic bullets…" I trailed off at the look on the young woman's face. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hanging open in horror. Worried, I looked behind me, expecting a fiend or something, but there wasn't anything there. "What?" I asked as I looked back to her._

_"You…you heathen!" she shrieked as her shock wore out and her anger rose. Her eyes narrowed as she jabbed a finger towards me. "How-how dare you! This is a holy store! How dare you ask for machina! We open our arms to those who repent, but not for the likes of you!" She was all but yelling now, and I was steadily backing up towards the door._

_Oops. I had forgotten about the whole Bessie-was-forbidden thing._

_"Leave at once, you heathen!"_

_"Yes ma'am!" I yelped before rushing out the door just as the attendant threw a recording sphere. It still managed to nail me right in the back of my head with enough force to send me to the ground._

_Flat on my face._

_At Belgemine's feet. I knew that dress hem anywhere. Free of dust, of course/ Because magic, apparently._

_I swear I could feel her glare trying to ignite my vest on fire as she hissed: "What. Did. You. Do. Terra?"_

_I was about to answer, but I had barely sat up before the shop's door slammed open again and the attendant came out. "Heathen! Leave at once!" She cast a thunder spell close enough I could feel the white-hot electricity crackle without it actually hurting._ (In retrospect, she probably missed) _I quickly abandoned my Summoner and headed for the road as quick as I could with electricity at my heels until I hit the bridge._

So now I was stuck. Anywhere past the bridge and I would be open to fiend attacks; any closer to the temple and I'd be attacked by those crazy Yevon fanatics. And to top it off, shortly after I found myself stranded on the bridge, Belgemine had stormed towards me, casting Silence before I could even say a word, threw the same recording sphere at me, and sent one more ultra-death glare just to make sure I understood she was upset before storming back towards the temple.

Well, at least she hadn't summoned Odin.

"Meep! Meep meep!" I looked down at the little monkeys that were dancing around the bridge, my stomach growling when I noticed one carrying a nice looking apple in his tiny hands. We had a small snack on our way from the beach, but it had been quickly burned away between the march and the excitement at the shop. I opened my mouth to try and convince the monkey to relinquish its treat before remembering I was Silenced.

Plus, trying to talk to monkeys? For food? I had offically reached a new low.

But that ruby red apple looked _so_ good. Inspired, I dug into my pocket for a gil coin. Monkeys like shiny stuff, right? I crouched down, holding out the shiny gold coin to tempt the monkey. To my luck, he seemed interested in it as he and several of his friends came bounding over. _"Come on,"_ I thought as I waved the gil coin."Drop your apple… You can buy three apples with this! Wait, monkeys can't buy apples." It might actually be a good thing that I was Silenced.

"Are you trying to trade with the monkeys, Terra?"

No. My luck was not that bad today. I looked up, and sure enough, Auron was looking down at me, one eyebrow evident over the edge of his sunglasses. Pair that with the amused tone he had and I wished Belgemine had summoned Odin after all.

I jumped to my feet, jamming my hands in my pockets and offering a wide grin that was hopefully innocent looking. _"Nope, not me!"_ However, my ruse fell as I noticed the monkeys quickly bounce away. There went supper for now at least. I wondered how fast those things could run…

Before I could act upon my impulse to chase after them, something was tossed my way and it was a pure miracle that I actually caught it. The echo screen shone with an inner light, making me grin and dance my victory jig. Really, it was a sad attempt at a dance with the jiggling of my hips and waving my arms about. The snort of laughter reminded me who exactly had tossed me the vial.

My luck wasn't just bad today; it was downright atrocious. Horrendous. Evil. Any and all other synonyms for beyond bad. Did I upset the Aeons so much they had decided to make my life hell? It was probably karma for punching Auron when he tried to save my life. And maybe some other things I did when I was younger-like swap Shuyin's hair gel for super glue, and covering the girl's weapons in so much glitter that it was everywhere for rest of the year. Plus, you know, trying to burn Zanarkand down a few times. 

To my defense for the glitter, I had just wanted to personalize the standard-issued weapons given to all Summoners in training. And to be fair, Shuyin totally deserved it. Both the glitter and glue. 

Sufficiently humiliated, I popped the lid off the vial and swallowed the contents. I would never get used to the sensation of regaining my vocal cords, and always coughed and hacked to get rid of the lingering feeling. Any respect I had earned from fighting next to Auron was probably long gone, trampled dead under Sleipnir's hooves at Belgemine's command.

Auron stood on the other side of the bridge, leaning against the rail with his arms crossed; one eyebrow raised and his sunglasses low enough for me to see his eyes… or, one eye and the scarred remains of the other. The image led my mind on a small vacation for what seemed like the millionth time that day. I could remember my Auron acting like that after a similar situation where I had danced in victory. He too had been faintly amused while he leaned against the railing of one of the many bridges that were scattered across Zanarkand, sunglasses…

Had been on my face actually. That's why I had been dancing victoriously.

"So…" I started awkwardly once my mind snapped back to reality. "Uh… hi."

If the crinkles at the corner of his eyes were anything to go by, he at least smirked at that. "You didn't answer my question."

Question? I frowned as I ransacked my brain before I remembered the attempted bargaining with my would-be furry friends. I could feel my face turn an even brighter red, "I-uh, don't know what you're talking about. I was just showing them my lucky coin. Yeah, that's it! See, it's my lucky coin!" I dug out the coin from my pocket, only realizing after I presented it with a big grin how silly it was showing Auron a simple five-gil coin like a prize. 

Smooth Terra, real smooth.

"I'd hate to see your luck without." There was a familiar hint of dry humor in his voice as he glanced at the coin.

"Eh, whoever said it was a good lucky coin. I'm becoming convinced it's a bad luck charm." I paused before offering the coin to him. "You want it?"

His look said _’no.'_ Actually it was more like: _'You seriously expect me to believe that?'_ and the bad thing was that I was hoping he would. Because then it would be like: _'so you have an unlucky coin. That would explain everything.'_ And he might still hold some respect for me.

I could dream, right? I was pretty good creating my own fantasy world, even if it kept crashing down around me.

"Okay…" I stuffed the coin back in my pocket as the silence stretched on. "So uh… what 'cha doing out here? Did you get chased down by the rabid shop keeper too?" I tried hard not to smile at that thought. I would wager a hundred gil that if she actually attempted that on Auron, she would be the one running. It was actually a pretty amusing thought.

"Yuna was worried," Auron said, erasing the smile off my lips. Yuna was worried about me? She wasn't even my Summoner.

I looked down at my feet for a moment, guilt eating at my stomach. If there was one thing guaranteed to make me feel bad, it was when I worried someone. Like Lenore, or Lenne, heck if Shuyin yelled at me because I made him worried I felt bad. However, that was a rare thing.

It had been a rare thing at least.

I stuck a smile on my face and looked back up at him. "Tell her I'm fine, a little hungry but perfectly okie-dokie!"

There was still that disbelieving feeling emanating from him, which was probably me imagining things. "Without a weapon, open to fiends, and banished from all Yevon temples?"

He had a point there. I shrugged my shoulders anyways, as if it didn't matter. "You forgot Bel is exceptionally mad at me too." I kept on my wide smile even though the seriousness of the situation was finally hitting home. I was in pretty big trouble, wasn't I? If machina such as guns were prohibited, how was I going to defend myself? I had no magic, had no clue how to use any other kind of weapon, and my only friend (if you could really count Belgemine as a friend) was on the verge of killing me. "I'll be fine," I lied. I had no clue what was going to happen, let alone if I would be fine.

Auron stuck his hand in his coat again, my bad luck charm prove to work as I fumbled the apple after it hit my stomach before finally grabbing it moments before it fell onto the bridge. That would not have been pretty, but I think I was hungry enough I would have ate it even if it had splattered against the dirty stone.

I didn't even think about saying thank you before taking a large bite, groaning in delight as the sweet juice hit my parched tongue. I did another little happy dance as my stomach rejoiced before devouring the rest of the fruit.

Then I realized that yes, Auron was still standing there. And yes, he had watched the whole spectacle. I froze before hesitantly looking over towards him. His arms were crossed, and I couldn't read his expression. Which Aeon did I upset so much for them to try and humiliate me so?

Oh, right. Odin and Sleipnir.

I _hated_ those two. Maybe even as much as Phoenix.

"I, uh… You didn't want any of that… right?" I asked carefully before my mouth took off. "I mean, I could regurgitate some of it back up, but that's rather gross." My mind kicked my mouth as one of Auron's eyebrows peaked over the brim of his sunglasses. "Okay that is extremely gross and I shouldn't have said that. And besides I don't think my stomach would give it up, it's quite happy now. And after it was growling at me like a rabid Chimera, which is worse than a growling Behemoth because they have three heads, I'm happy that it's happy. I should just say thank you and shut up, huh?"

"If you want to return by nightfall, then yes," he answered, and I swear there was a hint of humor in his voice. However, his words prevented that from reassuring me.

"Where am I going?" I asked warily. He wasn't here to kick me out to the fiends, was he?  
"There should be Al Bhed still in the area. Yuna asked that I assist finding you another weapon."

I blinked, stunned for a moment before grinning. Without warning I launched myself at my new companion, wrapping my arms around him in a quick hug. This time he was quicker than last time to pry me off. He didn't say anything, he just gave an exasperated huff before walking across the bridge towards the dirt road. I took a moment to relish the fact that I had hugged him not only once but twice. In the same day.

Maybe today wasn't so bad after all.

❖❀❖

While there had been several dozens of Al Bhed during the operation, it was hard to find one. And Alexander-forbid any of the strangler Crusaders help. Instead they spat at the term, cursing them as if the whole operation was their idea. That the failure was exclusively their fault. 

Eventually though, we did find a group huddled in an off branch tunnel barricaded with all sorts of broken machina and various things.

"Yevonites!" The call echoed through the partly enclosed Djose Highroad once they noticed us, followed by several loud clicks of guns being primed. Auron pushed me back while simultaneously stepping in front of me, his sword already drawn.\

Auron was kick ass, there was no dispute in that area. My Auron or this Auron, it was just a law of nature as far as I was concerned. People named Auron just grew up to be awesome. But there was an saying even older than Auron-is-awesome: don't bring a knife--or in this case a katana--to a gunfight.

"Wait! We don't mean any harm!" I shouted out from my rather comfy place behind him. "I need a machina weapon. A shotgun if you have one!"

There was mutterings before one of the Al Bhed called out, "Tuhd dno du vuum ic! Warrior Monks, Crusaders, yht Chocobo knights ryja paah ynnacdehk yht ajah aqalidehk Al Bhed mavd yht nekrd! Fa yna hud yd vymid vun dra secceuh vyemina!” _(Don't try to fool us! Warrior Monks, Crusaders, and Chocobo Knights have been arresting and even executing Al Bhed left and right! We are not at fault for the mission's failure!)_

"Do we really look like them?" I asked, before realizing we might actually. "Forget that! I just need a weapon. You don't even have to come out of the shadows, just name your price and toss it!"

There were more mutterings before a young teen stepped out of the shadows, covered almost head-to-toe in body armor, holding a machina. "Rikku!" one of the men hissed, but she just stuck her tongue back at the shadows and continued to walk towards us until there was only a few boxes between us and her.

"You're Yuna's Guardians, right?" she asked in Spirian when she paused, the goggles preventing me from seeing where she was looking. But from the tilt of her head, my bet was on the giant sword.

"What of it?" Auron answered before I could say anything.

The teenager hesitated for a second before straightening her back. "Is she okay? We may not like what she's doing, but we don't…we don't want her to be hurt."

"She's fine." 

However, I couldn’t be as short and to the point. Not with my curiosity burning. The Crusaders wouldn’t answer, but maybe she could. "How could Operation Mi'ihen be you guys' fault?"

"It's not! It wasn't!” she defended hotly. “But those stupid Yevonites are blaming it on us! You're not the only ones who lost people! I lost a lot of my family and friends today too! And so what if this plan didn't work? I'm sure we could have come up with one that did!"

"If you don't succeed, try, try again. Sounds good to me!" I agreed, which seemed to surprise her before a smile spread across her face.

"Exactly!" She paused, looking at Auron before neatly stepping to the side. Auron hesitated before he relaxed his sword, and stepped out of the way between us. There was a twitch of a smile as she stepped closer. "Uh-here. This…this was my cousin's. Promise me you'll be really careful with it."

I accepted the revolver, which looked more like a mini cannon, and felt as heavy as one too. Still, I treated it gingerly as I held it. "I will, promise. What I do I owe you?"

The girl smiled bigger, "Just promise me that you'll do your best to protect Yunie."

I didn't want to tell her I wasn't technically Yuna's Guardian, or that I had only been travelling with her for a little bit and would probably split ways soon. It made me feel a bit guilty when I nodded my head and lied with a smile. "Promise!"

"Terra," Auron called, bringing my attention back to him. "We should return."

I bobbed my head, grinning when I looked back to Rikku. "Thanks again!"

“Oui'na famlusa!” _(You’re welcome!)_

❖❀❖

The sky was black and speckled with stars and the full moon when we reached the Djose bridge. The monkeys were still dancing around; the red apple I had been coveting now had a few holes in it. They scattered as we passed. And I almost followed Auron before I remembered the scary acolyte. My new weapon was sure to get me in trouble now if I went any further.

Auron stopped a few feet in front of me, turning halfway to watch me out of the corner of his eye. At least I think that was what he was doing. For all I know it was the dancing monkeys that had his attention. They were pretty distracting.

Either way, I fidgeted as I fingered my new weapon. "I had, uh, better stay here. The last thing I need is them chasing me halfway cross Spira. Or worse, one of them summoning Ixion. No offense to the Aeon, I mean I love lightning and thunderstorms-a free light show along with a free shower? How awesome is that! But getting zapped isn't very pleasant. Actually, it hurts. A lot. And I'm sure Bel will do that, if not worse. Anyways, um-thanks, Auron. For helping me out." I felt my face burn as a moment of silence passed. I was too nervous to let it pass on for more than a second before rambling again. "I mean, I probably would have starved if you didn't give me that apple. And who knows what would have happened if I didn't have that echo screen. Well, I'm pretty sure you regret that by now actually. Oh, and thanks for helping me get Bessie's replacement. Thank Yuna too! She's an awesome Summoner and…"

"Terra," Auron's quiet command was more effective than a silence spell. From my vantage point, I couldn't see his expression, so I feared the worst: he was mad at me. I just knew it. He sighed before he continued:"You are welcome. Get some rest, and remember to protect your Summoner. Even when you don't agree with her."

My face was probably redder than Wakka's hair. I nodded enthusiastically, a small abashed grin on my face. "Thanks. Um, you too."

It was strange. I could almost pretend he was my Auron when he huffed partially amused and continued walking towards the temple. I closed my eyes slightly so all I could see was his red coat as he walked, while also listening the peals of thunder and splashing of the water beneath us, and I could almost believe I was home. That it was the end to another Thursday night.

Tears stung my eyes as I squeezed them shut, the heartache flaring once more.


	14. What Drives Me (Crazy)

As far as a list of unpleasant places to sleep, Djose bridge ranked up there. Next to bus stops and blitzball games. The constant thunder and rushing waters didn't bother me, They would've been absolutely soothing in other circumstances. 

It was the monkey’s faunt. All night long the cute little things were trying to figure out if: A) I wanted to play; B) If I had food in my pockets; C) if my clothes were edible. D) If my hair was edible, or E) if my hair made a good nest. And lastly, option F) If I wanted to play. 

And yes, I know I put that twice.

Honestly!

Back to the problem at hand. The monkeys. Did they ever sleep? They are some of the cutest creatures on Spira, but by the time the sun began to rise I swore they were fiends sent to make me suffer. Or maybe Belgemine had bribed them, and that's why they hadn't accepted my lucky coin. I could see her doing it.

Or maybe it was a Black magic spell that turns cute little monkeys into cute little sadistic let's-torment-Terra-so-she-can't-sleep monkeys.

Either way, when the sun rose I had maybe two or three hours of sleep, and thirty minutes more before Belgemine delivered a blizzard spell to rouse me.

"Cold. Cold! COLD!" I screamed as I leapt to my feet, violently shivering to displace the crystals of frost. I glared at Belgemine, but it went unnoticed since she was looking at my still-nameless gun that laid on my makeshift pillow (my vest).

"Do I want to know how you found a Machina weapon at a Yevon temple?" Her tone was a mixture of aggravation and exasperation when she finally turned to me.

"Do I want to know how you bewitched cute monkeys into becoming evil minions?" I grumbled in reply, almost missing the perturbed look on her face before her usual expression of annoyance scrunched it.

"We're leaving." She didn't wait even a second before storming away. For once, I was too tired to care. I yawned and grabbed…Jessie?

Nah. Unlike Bessie, this machina was too macho to have a feminine name--even if I had known a few guys named Jessie. It need a real manly-man name. I shouldered the machina, and hurried half-heartedly to catch up with Belgemine.

I didn't even reach her side before I felt the all-too familiar feel of her silence spell descend on me. Any traces of sleep left me as my own annoyance was kindled. That was getting extremely old.

"I do not care how you acquired your new weapon," she stated without looking back at me, or even slowing minutely in her sharp stride. "I do not care that you use Machina, or that you love it as much as the Al Bhed. However, I will _not_ let you disgrace me from the Temples. Or let it interfere with Yuna's pilgrimage. Not only is she the High Summoner's daughter, but she has caught the favor of Spira, the Maesters, and obviously the Fayth of the Aeons. She is young, yes, but I believe that she may defeat Sin..."

I glared at her back as she continued with her lecture. Did she honestly think I was doing this on purpose? This place was so much different than the world I was used to. I had been so used to Machina all my life--it wasn't my fault that I kept forgetting that here it was forbidden. Not that I really cared much about Belgemine's reputation, but Yuna had been nothing but kind to me. 

"… until you prove to me you can be responsible and not endanger this mission, I won't allow you to become her Guardian. I don't care what the Fayth have planned; you could only cause things to fail."

I gritted my teeth and ran in front of her. I crossed my arms as I faced her. _"I am stopping Sin!"_ I mouthed. _"You are not stopping me!"_

Thankfully, Belgemine understood my words. She narrowed her eyes at me and placed her hands on her hips. "And I am to believe you? You have spent this entire journey dragging your feet and being a nuisance. Why should I believe that you are finally taking this seriously?"

_"Because… because I remember it destroying Zanarkand. It may have been a thousand years ago, so revenge is long overdue."_ I tried to smile, but her glare of contempt killed any humor. I sighed and decided to be serious, _"I hate it, Bel. I just hate it so much. If I can help destroy it, then I'm going to."_ It was hard to explain, but ever since I saw the giant fiend… I had a purpose now: my heart was demanding with rage and hate to utterly _cream_ Sin. I wanted it gone, to erase it from Spira forever. I wanted to tear it apart, blast holes in it until it had more holes than…than something with a lot of holes.

In short, I wanted to send it to the Farplane, and to my luck, I was in the position to help do that. I had motivation now--isn't that Belgemine wanted? Wasn't that Odin and Sleipnir wanted?

To my surprise, Belgemine used Esuna. "Prove to me that you are serious, and I will reconsider."

I nodded my head, grinning, and let her step around me before I had to add: "Plus, I need to get away from you." I heard her sigh heavily, which made me give a short laugh in return as I jogged to her side. "I mean you're nice and all, Bel, but you have to admit, you are _really_ hard to get along with."

Honestly, I expected her to cast Silence, or lecture me, or her typical dark glare. She surprised as she paused, a sad expression crossing her face as if she was remembering something. "That…may be so. My previous Guardian and I did not always see eye to eye either."

I was frozen in my tracks for a moment. Surprised that she had actually said something. Usually our conversations mostly consisted of my chatting and her telling me shut up or correcting me. "What were they like?" I asked after a moment, curious. I knew more about this time than I did about Belgemine. However, she had returned to her usual silence with the same look of sadness that had been on her face when she was talking to that Maester. Keno? Kenny? No, Kinoc. 

What had they been talking about? My memory was a little bit hazy in that area, but I thought it had been something about her husband. Had he been her Guardian before me? "Come on, Bel! Either we talk or I'm going to play 'I spy' again!"

Belgemine had her usual dark glare on her face again, and I half-expected a silence spell, but received another sigh instead. "If you must know, he was my husband--Carmo. And before you ask, he is dead. He died in the Omega Ruins."

Oh. "Sorry…" I said, my teasing smile replaced by a frown. It was hard to imagine that Belgemine had been married. I idly wondered what kind of person she had been before his death. Surely she hadn't been so moody back then. I could only remember a little bit before my own father died, and my mother had been a completely different person.

Instead of asking her about Carmo, (I did have _some_ tact), I was curious about the Omega Ruins. They way Kinoc had talked about them made them sound like they were forbidden. So, in pure, tactful manner, I asked: "Where are the Omega Ruins?"

"On an island chain in the north east," Belgemine said quietly. "Carmo had been a scholar before he became my Guardian, and had been trying to discover more about Spira's past. He found documents that hinted Omega had found proof of the existence of Aeons not sanctioned by Yevon, and that is why he had been banished. Carmo did not let the Maesters know this when we pleaded to them to make an exception and allow us to explore the ruins.

"They had granted us our request. Except, we had not counted on the fiends being so powerful. We had almost reached the Fayth hidden in the ruins before…. Odin allowed Carmo to pass to the Farplane, but not me. When Sin is defeated, I may reunite with him."

I impulsively put a hand on her wrist, stopping her. "No! We are having a _huge_ party after we blast Sin off the face of Spira! _And_ you are going to live until you're a crabby old lady with a thousand cats." We didn't exactly get along, but I could stand the thought of her dying. At the moment, she was the only person who really knew what was going on around here. She was the only one who knew where I was from and everything.

Belgemine looked at me strangely before shaking her head. "Sometimes your ability to be completely oblivious astounds me."

I frowned, "Huh?"

Instead of answering, she quickened her pace, breaking my grip on her wrist. I scratched my head before following after her. It was hard not to be oblivious when she spoke so cryptically.

❖❀❖

Noon found us in a little alcove off the path, shaded by the trees. Belgemine sat daintily on a rock, meditating once more. Amazingly, she had lasted almost thirty minutes into 'I spy' before casting Silence. I wondered how many times she could cast that before needing an Ether…probably a lot. Certainly more times than she would ever cast Esuna.

Ever since she shared that small tidbit about her past, she had become even more quiet, and almost even depressed. I was to the point of almost wishing she would be her crabby self. I could never stand being around someone sad without trying to cheer them up. Not even someone I disliked. I remember Yunalesca had sunken into the quiet depression Belgemine was now in, and I had done anything and everything I could think of to cheer her up. It only irritated her further, I think….

Come to think about it, that was about the time she really started to pick on me.

I had tried the same tactic with Belgemine, but when she started to completely ignore me in favor of meditating, I decided to take a break myself by scaling the trees surrounding the path. Zanarkand didn't have very many trees, so it was a novelty to be able to climb one when I had the chance.

I had just settled into a faintly comfortable nook between two large limbs, and had begun to doze in the shade when the faint sound of chatter grew steadily louder. At first I paid it no mind until I heard Wakka's boisterous laugh. I opened my eyes quickly just as l lost my precarious balance and fell out of the tree with a short scream.

"Graceful," Belgemine looked down at me briefly before turning her attention to the approaching group.

"Belgemine! Terra!"

I quickly climbed back to my feet, giving a small jump as I waved towards them. "Long time no see!" I joked as they came closer.

"And I thought we left early! I don't even want to know what times you guys left," Tidus said before giving me a quizzical look. "Where were you last night? Someone said you got in trouble with the Temple."

The glare Belgemine sent my way could have burned holes in my vest. "Ehehe, it's a long story."

"You were successful in your prayer to the Fayth, I see," Belgemine stepped in front of me, addressing Yuna. "Not many acquire the temperamental Aeon so quickly. You will be a great High Summoner, perhaps as great as Yunalesca."

I immediately thought of Yunalesca back in Zanarkand and snorted, "She's already a thousand times better than Yunalesca!" I realized my mistake afterwards when I saw the reactions. Wakka was outraged--again--while Lulu and Yuna seemed shocked by my statement. Both Auron and Kimahri barely reacted except maybe a quirk of an eyebrow, while Tidus seemed…puzzled. "Uh, at least she's better than the Yunalesca that I know. I'm not a hundred percent sure that's the same one you guys are talking about; actually I'm pretty sure she's not because the one I'm talking about should be dead by now. At least, I really, really, hope she's dead and not, like, immortal or something. That would be horrifying..."

"Terra…" Belgemine interrupted, ceasing my nervous ramble. I took a deep breath, partially relieved, if still annoyed, at her interruption. I was actually more surprised that she hadn't cast Silence as usual. Maybe that little bit of bonding turned out for the better.

"Yeah, I know, be silent," I grumbled before adding, "But Yuna is better than her, and I'm not taking that back."

Belgemine sighed heavily before turning back to Yuna. "Yuna, if you wish, let me test how strong your bond is with your Aeons once more."

Yuna seemed hesitant, and but nodded her head after a quick glance to silently ask her Guardians. Belgemine gave a small smile before raising her arms. I scrambled backwards as a gust of wind swept through, the lights of the summoning twirling around the Summoner before shooting into the sky. Sure enough, only a few moments passed before Valefor landed exactly where I had been standing. Maybe that team bonding hadn’t been so great.

Yuna didn't skip a beat before twirling her staff and summoning Ixion. The Aeon wasn’t exactly beautiful, and he was as unpredictable and unruly as his element. Not all Summoners could handle him, and only a few could master his powers. Yet despite only recently acquiring Ixion, Yuna handled him easily. It was like watching an old pro as she used her staff to send directions to the Aeon, her calm voice as hard as steel as she commanded each move.

She was better than Yunalesca. Even if I wasn't prejudiced. 

"You weren't talking about Lady Yunalesca, ya?" Wakka asked with a tinge of anger.

"Uh…like I said, I'm not really sure…you know, Sin's toxin and all that." I prayed that excuse would work for me again, and indeed some of the aggravation left his expression, but not completely. "What's this Lady Yunalesca like?"

My question was at first answered by spluttering before he growled in frustration and looked towards Lulu. "Lu, can you believe this?"

"Hey, I don't know who Lady Yunalesca is either," Tidus defended before Lulu could speak, which surprised me before I remembered hearing that he actually had been touched by Sin. No wonder that excuse was working so well for me.

Lulu sighed, "Lady Yunalesca was the first Summoner who defeated Sin over a thousand years ago."

I stared at her, unbelieving. Their Yunalesca…was my Yunalesca? That--that couldn't be right! "What did she look like?!" I demanded, surprising the Black Mage. "Did she have silver flyaway hair? Dress in scraps of fabric? Did--did she have a husband named Zaon?"

"Lord Zaon, yes," Lulu answered, her confusion displayed on her face. "Are you sure you do not remember?"

I didn't answer, or even fully hear her. My mind was reeling from her response. Their Yunalesca was the same person as mine. The damn teacher was still popular years later, revered now by the entire world. I could practically see her smug smile in my mind as I ran my hand through my hair. How could she defeat Sin a thousand years ago, but the fiend was still around? "And she told me I was worthless," I grumbled to myself. "Can't even kill a fiend right…"

Wait.

If I helped kill Sin…

That would prove I was better than her. That I wasn't the worthless, incompetent fool she made me believe I was.

A grin spread over my lips as I started to snicker. Oh wouldn't that be so…so awesome! When I saw her in the Farplane I could totally rub it in her face! _"HA! I KILLED Sin! Now who's worthless?! Who's the weak one now?!"_ If I hadn't been determined to kill Sin before, I was now. Nothing was going to stop me from destroying the fiend!

"Uh… Terra?" I was torn out of my thoughts, and quickly realized I was getting strange looks from everyone. Tidus scratched the back of his neck as he continued, "Are you…are you feeling okay?"

I grinned back him. "Never better!" My eyes happened to drift to Auron, half expecting to be looking of in the distance, just as cold and aloof the last time Belgemine and Yuna sparred. Except this time he was looking right at me, his eyebrows half-hidden by his glasses as he frowned. I felt my smile disappear and my stomach squirmed. I didn't really care what the others thought of me, but I did care about his opinion.

Even though, I reminded myself for the millionth time, he wasn't _my_ Auron.


	15. The Ebb and Flow of the Moon

Ixion dropped to his knees, pyreflies dancing away from the defeated Aeon. Yuna's expression was somber as she watched him disappear, almost heartbroken.

"Do not be disappointed," Belgemine began impassively after dismissing Valefor. "You fought well for one so young, especially with a recently-acquired Aeon."

Yuna smiled, though it looked rather forced. "Thank you, Lady Belgemine. Though…I imagine you will defeat Sin before I can."

That sad distant expression reappeared on the older Summoner's face. "No, I will not…or, rather, I could not."

Yuna, as well as some of her Guardians, looked at Belgemine in surprise, while Tidus and I looked at each other, echoing each other's confusion. After I had oh-so-eloquently inserted my foot into my mouth over Yunalesca, things had quieted while we waited for the Summoners to finish, and I had scrambled up in my tree again just for the sake of it.

That, and when Wakka had seen I found another machina, his face began to match the color of his hair. I had wisely distanced myself after saying some…choice words, and hoped the branches of the tree provided enough defense from his spiked Blitzball.

"You mean…" Yuna trailed off, holding one hand delicately to her mouth in surprise. Now I really was lost.

"I now train promising Summoners in hope that they will succeed where I failed," she replied. "You are one of the most promising Summoners I have met since your father. When you reach the Calm Lands, find the Remiem Temple if are willing to do whatever it takes to defeat Sin."

Yuna blushed and averted her eyes before performing the victory symbol with a deep bow. "Thank you, Lady Belgemine. I would appreciate any advice you can offer, I believe I could learn much from you.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “If you and Lady Terra are continuing on to the Moonflow, perhaps we can travel together once more?”

“Please Bel!" I interjected, jumping from the tree, and once more landing hard on my butt. I brushed off the pain and dirt as I scrambled back to my feet. "I'm tired of fighting Ochus by myself!"

Belgemine shot me a dark look before sighing. "As far as the north bank of the Moonflow, but then we must part paths. Terra and I will not be traveling through Guadosalam."

After another victory sign, the Summoners led us down the path. Tidus quickly took his usual place beside Yuna, closely followed by Kimahri, Wakka, and Lulu. I trailed behind, still wary of Wakka, and found myself trying to match Auron's calm pace. My nerves were once more jittery as the silenced lingered, though I could hear some of what the two Summoners were discussing. Part of me was interested in what Belgemine was saying, something about the Omega Ruins and how she acquired Odin, but the rest of me was more interested in the man beside me as usual.

"Have you been to Zanarkand?" I looked over to him, slightly surprised by the question, but he was looking towards the Summoners, his glasses and collar covering his expression, if he had any. He was amazingly, and annoyingly, good at controlling his body language. Just as my Auron had been.

"I uh... Isn't it forbidden?" I stumbled over my words, my mind drawing blanks. How was I supposed to answer that?

"Sacred to those who believe in Yevon," he confirmed with a slight hint of derision before he casted a glance down at me. "Answer the question, Terra."

I squirmed at the command; on one hand I didn't want to lie to him, even if he wasn’t my Auron...he was still Auron. The Auron who saved me. But on the other I couldn't tell him the truth. It wasn't like it was a secret, but who would believe the truth? I still had trouble believing it at times. "Well, uh, that's…kinda hard to answer. Like I said before, I don't remember much." The words tumbled out, leaving me queasy. It must have shown; he reached out to grab my wrist and stop me, making me face him. His one eye looked down at me, the eyebrows quirked above it. I could only meet the gaze for a brief moment before my eyes turned their focus on anything but him. "I--I mean, well, sorta? Not recently, not really. It's been a long, _long_ time since I was there. I probably wouldn't recognize it--I hear it's just ruins now."

Shoot. No. That wasn’t right. I glanced back, able to see his brows knitted together and quickly tried to amend my statement. "I mean, I know it's been ruins for a long time, like a thousand years and no one alive has seen it when it hasn't been ruins, but I mean that…that it's…it's probably…" I trailed off before sighing. I was only digging myself deeper now, so I finished rather pathetically with: "It just wouldn't be the Zanarkand I remember."

He let go of my wrist, and I rubbed it slightly. Not because his grip had been too tight, but merely...warm. Almost overwhelming somehow. "Like I said, it's kinda hard to explain…" I started again, but he interrupted me.

"It would be in your interest to answer no in the future." With that, he continued down the path, and I mulled briefly over his answer before quickly catching up with him, my curious piqued.

"Have you seen it?" I asked as I shoved my hands in my pocket. "You never did answer me earlier."

"I have seen it," he acknowledged with another sardonic chuckle. "More times than I wish to remember."

My stomach churned, and I was halfway temped to ask what it looked like now. How badly had Sin destroyed it? Was there anything that still looked the same? However…he wouldn't have know what it looked like in all its glory. The tall buildings that reached out towards the sky, the brilliant lights at night, and the arches of water that stretched out over the bridges. The majesty of Alexander's Temple, hidden from Bevelle beneath the stadium--one secret I had never told my Auron. Only Summoners and their Guardians were privy to that knowledge.

For a long while we walked in silence, still a fair ways behind the group. My mind was lost in remembering my home, a small sad smile as I remembered the things I really missed. The theory classes back at the University, running the streets as a delivery girl, meeting up on Thursdays with my Auron. My friends. My sister. It wasn't until I heard Tidus' appreciative whistle that I looked up and saw we had finally reached the Moonflow.

I was distracted enough by the beauty to not really notice that I had stopped, or that Auron had continued without me. The water stretched out as far as the eye could see, the bank covered in moonlilies that had pyreflies dancing gracefully around them. Beautiful didn't even start to describe it. Breathtaking. Amazing. Majestic. 

No wonder the Aeon of water, Leviathan, had chosen this place for his temple. 

"Hey, Terra!" Tidus called out, bringing me back to reality. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah!" I called out, and ran quickly to catch up with them. Except my focus was still on the pyreflies and lillies that I hadn't even noticed the quiet rumble that had started to grow until Auron appeared out of nowhere, putting an arm in front of me and stopping me moments before a large blue leg stomped where I would've been. I looked up and gaped at the sight.

A shoopuf.

An honest to Alexander, Ifrit, and every single Aeon, shoopuf.

"Whoa!" I heard Tidus exclaim, jumping back as the shoopuf slowly made its way past him. "What the…"

"Thass'a shoopuf," Wakka supplied with more than a hint of humor in his voice. "Cool, eh?"

"And you ride that?" Tidus asked, gaining my immediate attention.

"YES!" I hollered before anyone could answer. I jumped up excitedly as Auron moved his arm. I didn't even blink as I spun to face Belgemine. And bounded over to her. "We have to ride it! We have to! C'mon!” I grabbed her long sleeve and tugged urgently. “Please please please!!!" I honestly never even dreamed of riding a shoopuf. They were virtually extinct! It was like riding a-a dragon! A perfectly fine daydream, but highly unlikely...except I don’t think a shoopuf would kill you. Unlike a dragon.

"Terra!" Belgemine scolded, silently casting Silence once more. I didn't care, though: it was a shoopuf! I didn’t care if I was making a scene again. It was a shoopuf. And we were going to ride it.

I was so freaking excited as I danced over to the boarding platform, grinning ear to ear to the Hypello. He (She? No, blue boys, pink girls, purple kids) blinked lazily at me. “Shoopuf sleeping. Gots to wait.”

Noooooo. I whined silently. I didn’t want to wait. I glanced up at the mammoth blue creature with a sigh. It’s eyes were closed, its ear occasionally twitching but that was it.

Oh fine.

I trudged back to the other, who was stopped by a couple, much larger, Ronso.

“...first Kimahri lose horn. Next Kimahri lose his Summoner. Poor little Kimahri!: The two chortled spitefully. 

I was shocked that Belgemine, Lulu, and Wakka just silently stood by. Sure the looked rather uncomfortable, but they weren’t doing anything to stop the bullies. Yuna was at least by his side, looking rather irate on his behalf, but it was Tidus who stepped up. “No, he isn’t. Kimahri’s one of the best Guardians. No one is going to bess with Yuna with him by her side.”

Kimahri paused before stepping forward bravely. “No one take Yuna. Kimahri Guardian. Kimahri protect Yuna.”

I nudged Lulu, trying to silently ask my question. Who would be threatening Yuna with all her Guardians? Thankfully, the mage seemed to understand the look on my face and answered: “Summoners have been disappearing all over Spira. Taken without their Guardians noticing.” She sighed as she shook her head. “Every pilgrimage is fraught with danger. But this...this is new.” She turned towards me, her ruby eyes piercing. “You must be on guard once we part ways. Yuna has us, but you are Belgemine’s only Guardian.” 

❖❀❖

Everyone spread out while we waited for the shoopuf to wake from its nap, or for the one that almost squished me to return from its trip across the Moonflow. Belgemine was still talking quietly with Yuna while Kimahri continued to silently stand watch.

The rumor of Summoners suddenly disappearing had really unsettled the Ronso--he was following Yuna around even closer than usual. Tidus didn't seem to be that bothered by the rumor; seemingly carefree while running around, talking with everyone and haggling with the many merchants that were mulling about. And while Lulu and Wakka had retreated from the harsh afternoon sun underneath the canopy of the depot, I had caught both of them cautiously monitoring the small crowd.

As for myself, I sat on the edge of the large platform by the shoopuf, legs dangling off the edge precariously close to Auron's shoulders. (And just to be clear, I had been here first. I swear it. I may have left for a little bit to chat with the Hypello handler about when we would leave, then peruse what the merchants were selling, and then bugged Belgemine for a while before returning when I saw Auron had reappeared. But I _totally_ had been here first.) I wasn't very bothered by the rumor, but that was mostly due to the fact Belgemine could easily take care of herself without me. And, well, Auron didn't seem worried at all so I figured everything was okay.

He seemed to know what was going on, or at the very least, knew a whole lot more about everything than I did. But then, I think everyone did.

"I wonder where that shoopuf got that scar," I said, mostly to myself. I had been rambling on and off since I sat down, my attention hopping from one thing to another as I tried to not to fidget. I never liked sitting around and doing nothing. "I mean, what kind of fiend would look at that and say 'hey, that looks like something I could take down.' Not that fiends really think...I think. Actually, I'm pretty sure that they attack anything that moves. I wonder if they ever chase things like blowing leaves when no one's around." I started to giggle at the image of a fiend like a Coeurl chasing leaves like an overgrown kitten. "You have to admit, that would make any fiend seem a whole lot less scary."

The silence stretched on again, though this time my nerves weren't bothering me as I let my imagination run with the idea. Courels batting at leaves, flans blasting magic at bugs, or dingos chasing after birds like normal dogs. "Ten years ago, a Guardian struck it with his sword, thinking it was a fiend."

The outlandish statement caught my attention more than the fact Auron had said it. "What?!" I leaned forward, resting my forearms on my knees so I was eye level with him. "You're kidding me! How could anyone mistake a shoopuf for a fiend?"

There was the barest hint of humor in his voice when he answered: "He was drunk."

I shook my head in disbelief, casting a glance up at the slumbering beast. Even drunk, how could someone think the gentle giant could be a fiend? Or even threatening?

Wait a minute.... "How do you know that?" I asked, turning my attention back to him. "You didn't do that, did you?" The dark look he gave me shot that idea down.

"No. A man by the name of Jecht did," Auron said before sighing slightly. "We were guarding the same Summoner, Braska. Yuna's father."

"O-oh," I hummed, frowning at the tidbit. Jecht. There was no way I could forget that name. Not only was it the name of Lenore's favorite Blitzball player, but the man who my Auron was watching his ward for. The ward that was named Tidus.

Did history really repeat itself? Were we all reborn every thousand years or so and live virtually the same life? Sometimes with the same name? I looked down at Auron, once more noting how perfectly alike he was to my Auron. The same brush of gray hair, the thick scar traveling from his hairline to below the high grey collar. If I hadn't known any better, I would have sworn he _was_ my Auron.

But that just _wasn't_ possible.

I brought my knees up to my chest, my mood starting to spiral downwards. "Do you believe in reincarnation?" I asked quietly after a moment.

He gave a dry huff of laughter. "Only Sin is reincarnated."

I frowned, that statement brought up a whole slew of other questions, but I was more focused on the one currently troubling me. "What if…what if you found someone that was nearly identical to a person that you knew was dead? How would you explain that?"

He turned to look at me again, his brown eye peering over the top of his sunglasses. "I would question if they truly died in the first place."

"He's dead," I said rather firmly. "He-he just has to be."

"Just because they're dead doesn't mean they can no longer walk among the living," he answered darkly.

I bit my lip, my stomach turning at the implication. "You mean like an unsent?" Auron hmmed in agreement, his attention turning from me to where Tidus and Wakka were showing off their blitzball skills, allowing me to study him. A thousand year old unsent? Was anyone's spirit so strong that it could last that long and not fade or be twisted into fiend?

But was it possible? He was so much like my Auron… but he didn't give any hint of knowing me. Surely he would, wouldn’t he? Besides, why would he stay around for that long? What would compel someone to ignore the call of the Farplane for so long?

"Hey, Auron," I started out with butterflies in my stomach as I tried to gather my courage to ask my question. However, the earth shook slightly and the strange trumpeting of the shoopuf nearly deafened me. My question was forgotten as Auron left his post as the others started towards the platform.

"Time to board ze shoopuf," the Hypello called out, and while I was excited, I also mourned the lost chance.

But there was no way. Absolutely no way he could be my Auron.


	16. Water-fight

The shoopuf was probably the slowest thing in the world, but I was honestly having a blast as I half-hung out of the small riding carriage as it waded into the water at a snail pace. The Moonflow was more beautiful in real life than any picture I had ever seen; the water was absolutely crystal clear and thousands of Pyreflies dancing along the river. Despite the clarity of the water, there was something beneath the waves I had a hard time seeing through the wake of the shoopuf. Even when I thought I knew what I was seeing, it was hard to accept. 

More ruins. Decimated roads and buildings worn by time and the waves. An entire city sunken beneath the water's surface. "What happened?" I heard Tidus ask the same question that ran through my mind, and turned my attention back to the others. Tidus was stretched over the edge like I had been, Wakka beside him half turned to look down at the water.

"Sin," Wakka answered, glaring down at the ruins."A thousand years ago, people used machina to make a town over the Moonflow."

"Oh, I see," Tidus hummed, not noticing the angry expression on Wakka's face. "It would be really convenient to be by the water."

Wakka snorted, "As if! They just wanted to prove they could. They wanted to prove that they could defy nature with their machina. Sin was born because of their arrogance, and now we have to pay for their sins!"

"Maybe it was a challenge, but I bet it was also because there was so many people they had to look for ways to build homes for everyone," I chipped in without really thinking. Belgemine, from beside Kimahri, sent a warning glare my way and shook her head. I pretended that I didn’t notice, not as Wakka argued back.

"Yeah right!” he scoffed. “Spira's a big place, ya? I'm sure they had plenty of room for people, even way back then!"

I continued to ignore Belgemine's ever growing glare, my attention focused solely on Wakka, "You have to remember, a lot of people lived near the Moonflow to be by Ixion's temple, Leviathan's temple, or to be near the Guado's holy city of Guadosalam."

Wakka sputtered, probably trying to think up and argument, but whatever he was going to say was stopped when Yuna's soft voice interrupted. "Leviathan? Is that an Aeon?"

"Yeah, the Aeon of water. You know, one of the eight elemental Aeons." I said as if it was obvious. Well, for me it was. I had forgotten for a moment the whole reason I was even here was because they had forgotten Aeons like Leviathan.

I felt a bit guilty at the embarrassed, almost ashamed expression on her face. "I've never heard of Leviathan before in Yevon's teachings…"

"Besides," Lulu cut in, trying to defend her Summoner. "There are only four elements Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Water."

I gaped at her for a second. What? Only four elements? "No! There's eight! Water, Fire, Ice, Thunder, Wind, Earth, Dark, and Holy! " I could sorta kinda understand forgetting Aeons…okay, so I couldn't really. But forgetting the basic elements? That—that just made no sense at _all._ "They match with Leviathan, Ifrit, Shiva, Ixion, Pandemona, Fenrir, Diablos, and Alexander."

The Hypello handler of the shoopuf was apparently eavesdropping and decided to break in. "Shin sunk Levishan's temple lonsh agos. No Shumomner hast vishited in long times."

"Do you know where it is?" The Hypello didn't answer Belgemine's question, more concerned about why the shoopuf had stopped suddenly, a tremor running through its body. Everything after that was a blur. Strong arms grabbed me from above and yanked me out of my seat. I could hear yelling in both Spirian and Al Bhed as I was face-to-face with a gas mask before being tossed into the river.

The water was cold, giving me a shock as I plunged beneath the waves. I panicked, unable to tell up from down until after what seemed like forever, I broke the surface and gasped for air. But there was no time for relief. I turned just in time to see the same an oil-monkey getup dive into the water, the young Summoner tucked in his arms. Tidus and Wakka followed the, furious as hell by the looks on their faces. I may not be anywhere near as good as a Blitzball player, I could still swim pretty well. So, despite the fact I didn't have a weapon that would work underwater, I followed Tidus and Wakka and dove beneath the waves.

The water was just as crystal clear below the surface as I swam after the Summoner-napper. The three of us were close to catching him, only to have a large machina rose up from the depths. Once more up became down and sideways as the machina fired its depth charges. By the time I righted myself again, the two blitzball players had drawn their respective weapons and were attacking the machina.

I paddled water as I tried to think on how to help before noticing the orb atop the machina. Yuna stood inside, trying to break out of her new prison with her staff. While she was soaked, she didn't appear to be injured, and the orb itself seemed to be filled with air, so there was no danger of drowning. She gave a slight smile when I reached the orb, and I offered a thumbs up, silently questioning if she was alright. She seemed to understand since she nodded her head. 

I swam around the orb, careful of Wakka's ball as it slammed into the machina, trying instantly find some kind of hinge, latch, anything that would open the plastic prison. But of course it wouldn't be that easy. There was nothing. I was frustrated for a moment, upset this wouldn't be as quick and easy as I hoped. I told Yuna to wait a moment by holding a finger up for a moment before rushing towards the surface, my lungs aching for air.

The first gulp of fresh air felt wonderful, easing the burn in my lungs. I could hear the other calling out, but ignored them as I took in a large breath of air and dived right back down. From my height I caught an overview of the fight while I swam down. The machina had just fired another round of depth charges, but Wakka and Tidus easily recovered from the attack and continued their assault on the machina with their weapons. With the machina preoccupied with them, it allowed me to swim unnoticed back to the globe and started using the stock of my gun like a hammer against the plastic orb. Seeing what I was doing, Yuna started to using her staff in the same manner in the same spot. After a few hard hits from both of us, cracks began to form in the glass, slowly growing into a large spider web that spread across the orb.

The machina's operator finally realized what we were doing. I didn’t notice its fabric tentacles reached up until they wrapped itself around my waist. I panicked and flailed in the water as it pulled me away and flung me down towards the sunken ruins. I summersulted head-over-heels until I crashed into something. Most of my precious breath was knocked out of me, only adding to the terror and disorientation. I held onto the statue, waiting until my vision would clear and I could figure out which was way up and which was down.

When I could finally see straight, I glanced briefly at the statue that was my lifeline. Even with algae growing on it and bits missing, it was easy to recognize the long serpentine Aeon of water, Leviathan. I let go slowly, glancing around the surrounding ruins, hoping for that small, tiny chance that…

Partially hidden by rubble was the grand, unmistakable spiraling architecture of Levithan's temple. I almost couldn't believe my eyes,, but there was no mistaking it. The Hypello had carefully crafted it in a way that no one had ever been able to copy in its intricate design. 

When they were actually inspired to do something, they could do anything.

The water suddenly became violent from another depth charge, bringing my attention back to the fight. I glance up towards where the machina was shuddering in the water, obviously trying hard not to fall apart while Wakka and Tidus continued to slam away at it. I needed to find a way to get Yuna out before it fell apart. Or worse, blew up. That really wouldn't be good for the Summoner's health.

I propelled off the statue back towards the fight, swimming up behind the machina hopefully unnoticed. Yuna looked relieved to see me when I floated back into view, giving me a relieved smile when I gave a thumbs up. I could tell she had been working at the breaking the orb herself; the spiderweb of cracks nearly encompassed the entire thing. I adjusted my grip on my nameless weapon and started to pound in time with her staff's strikes. With our teamwork, it wasn’t long until it suddenly shattered, freeing the Summoner. I quickly grabbed her hand and swam hard for the surface, not sparing a glance back to see whether or not the machina had noticed.

"Yuna! Terra!" Lulu and Belgemine called out after we broke through the surface. The shoopuf slowly turned and swam towards us. Once it reached us, it scooped us up out of the water with its schnoz deposited us into the small carriage. Lulu fretted over Yuna while her two stoic Guardians relaxed...slightly.

"You did well," Belgemine commended quietly as I sat down by her. My eyes widened as I looked towards her, surprised further by the genuine smile on her face.

"You...you just gave me a compliment."   
Her smile became amused, "You acted like a Guardian, and she isn't even your Summoner."

I frowned slightly, looking to where Yuna was sitting, talking quietly with Lulu. "Why did they dump me into the water, then grab her? I mean, we don't look alike atall."

"They probably were only looking for someone with short brown hair. I imagine their goggles distort their vision." I ruffled my slowly drying hair, thoughtful. Yuna's had hers softly arranged in a manageable style, despite everything, while mine was, well, a complete mess as usual.

"Wait!" I exclaimed suddenly, grabbing Belgemine's arm. "I saw Leviathan's temple down there!"

Her eyes widened in surprise, but before she could speak, the shoopuf once more reached into the water, and this time picked Tidus and Wakka out of the water. "Stupid Al Bhed!" Wakka complained almost immediately, shaking his bright red hair out. "What do they think they’re doing? First Operation Mi'ihen and now trying to kidnap our Summoner?!"

"Operation Mi'ihen wasn't their fault,” I defended rashly. “Those Maesters were involved in it, too.”

"Terra," Belgemine warned quietly, but it was too late. Wakka's face flushed red with anger as he sputtered.

"How...you...I can't believe...you really are an Al Bhed sympathizer, aren't you?!" he finally spat out. "I bet you were exiled from Yevon rather than a survivor of Baaj!"

"One of my best friends was raised by the Al Bhed," I defended, crossing my arms. "And she was also one of the best Summoners I ever knew! The more I see how they're treated, the more I do sympathize with them, and the more I distrust..."

"Both of you, Silence." Belgemine commanded, instantly silencing our voices. Even with the spell, we continued to glare at each other across the small carriage. "You both need to grow up and put your differences aside, or else your pilgrimage will fail."

Wakka's anger only faded slightly as he flopped into a seat across from mine, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a pout. I echoed his position, but felt a trickle of embarrassment growing ever stronger as the heavy silence continued.

"Shouldn't we continue?" Auron broke the silence, sounding aggravated as well, which didn’t help any. "This detour has cost us enough time."

I looked up to Belgemine and nudged her knee slightly, trying to get her attention. If we left now, we'd lose Leviathan's temple. Who knows how long it would take to find it again in the large river? Belgemine seemed to ignore me, but called out when the Hypello was about to encourage the shoopuf on. "Wait."

Everyone turned their eyes to her questioningly, but it was Yuna who asked: "What is it?" 

"Terra said she had seen Leviathan's temple when she was down there," Belgemine said, focusing solely on the other Summoner and missing the dark look Wakka shot me or when I retaliated with sticking my tongue out. "The Fayth may still be present."

"Are you sure?" Auron asked when he turned towards me. My tongue retreated quickly, and I nodded my head fervently. I had studied the Aeons most of my life, hoping to find a trick to become a Summoner myself. That often included the temples that housed the Fayth. I was a hundred percent sure what I saw was the temple for Leviathan. 

Okay, ninety percent for sure...seventy-five percent, minimum. 

Auron turned towards Yuna, the silent question obvious. _What is your choice?_ The young Summoner looked at each of her Guardians, apparently finding an answer on their expressions before she nodded her head. "Maybe, if I have more Aeons, my Final Aeon will be able to defeat Sin..." She looked towards Belgemine, a determined expression on her face. "Let's try."


	17. Aeon of the Deep

Considering the temple had been underwater for around a thousand years, visited by no one except the fish and fiends that had made the place their home, the place was in good shape. 

And, joy of joys, the Cloister of Trials were still operational. And confusing as ever.

“This is driving me bananas!” I hollered as soon as I surfaced in the small air bubble of the antechamber of the Trials. “Seriously, can we just, I don’t know, blast through the doors?!”

Wakka’s droopy wet red hair only intensified the irritated look on his face. This was far from my first complaint from the zig-zag maze that somehow always ended in the antechamber, no matter what we did. “The Trials are to test the faith and strength of the Summoner and Guardians and prove to Yevon their will.”

“They’re testing my patience,” I grumbled, which Wakka either didn't hear, or plainly ignored when Tidus resurfaced nearby.

"Well, back to square one," Tidus sighed. "Okay, so what haven't we tried?"

All three of us were silent. How long we had been at this? Long enough I was getting exhausted by swimming the long, winding corridors barely light by the aqua colored ciphers. "Maybe it's broke, ya?" Wakka offered, no longer looking annoyed but slightly defeated. "I mean, the Hypello said no one's been here in a while. The Teachings of Yevon doesn't even ever mention Leviathan or the temple."

"Can you _break_ a temple?" Tidus asked, making me wonder the same. Everything seemed okay: the ciphers were lit, the spheres glowing brightly and reacting with where we placed them. But we had tried nearly every combo in the large labyrinth with no results. We just kept swimming in circles no matter what paths we took. There had to be missing spheres, or maybe there was a part blocked off we hadn't noticed yet.

I was really starting to hate puzzles. Alexander's was easy. Pandemona, a little trickier but with the right understanding and research, it could be done. This? This was impossible. Especially since almost everything was underwater.

The temple of the Aeon of water, was actually underwater. I didn't know if that was irony or what. What I did know was it was extremely annoying. I sighed aggravatedly as I floated on my back, letting my arms and legs rest while Wakka and Tidus talked about the Trials. I hated to admit the fact, but I was starting to believe that this seriously could not be done. I never did as much research into the other Aeons and their temples as I had for Alexander and Pandemona. I had steadfastly ignored Phoenix, and only breezed through the others when I knew it would be in a test. 

My brooding was cut short as my head suddenly met the stone wall rather painfully. The sudden jolt startled me enough to thrash in the water as I tried not to go under. “What are you doin’?” Wakka called out after I settled, slowly treading water to keep afloat. 

“Hitting my head, obviously,” I groaned, my usual cheery mood long gone. I rubbed my head, surprised I was able to hit it so hard merely by floating. There wasn’t any currents that should have been able to pull me. At least I hadn’t thought so. The water was still to the point of almost being stagnant.

Or so I thought. 

Tidus must have had the same idea. He quickly swam towards me, and took out his Brotherhood sword and held it just below the surface. The red ribbon on the hilt of the sword proved that there was slow current as it waved beneath the water. He had a large smile on his face as he looked between Wakka and me. “Should we see where it goes?”

Wakka looked as doubtful as I felt, but shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, why not?” I echoed his shrug when our ever-cheerful leader looked towards me. 

The blond’s smile grew slightly bigger before Wakka pointed out the problem: “How are we gonna follow it?”

The boys searched for something that would have no problem to float the weak current, but large enough for us to easily keep track of. Wakka’s colorful Blitzball caught my eye and instantly gave me an idea. Feeling impish, I quickly snatched the ball away from the blitzball player dodged his outraged reflex and dove towards the Leviathan statue submerged beneath us and let the ball go. 

Tidus stopped Wakka from grabbing the ball out of the slow current. I could see some of the anger melt away from his face as we watched the ball roll in the water towards one of the many doors. Tidus gave a thumbs up before following the blitzball, while Wakka merely gave me his usual disapproving glare before catching up with Tidus. I grinned to myself as I followed suit.

Maybe now we could solve this stupid puzzle. 

❖❀❖

The good news: what seemed like hours later we hadn’t found our way back to the antechamber. The bad news: we hadn’t found the Chamber of the Fayth either. My lungs were burning again as we continued to follow the blitzball as it bobbed in the current. I was partly convinced I could now feel the water brushing past me, pushing us along with the ball. However, I was also convinced we were going to drown and die in the cypher-lit passages. 

We turned a corner, and suddenly the small corridor was lit not by the aqua cyphers, but by a shimmering light opaque force field that stretched across the inside of a tall archway framed by a carving of Leviathan. We watched as Wakka’s ball passed through the field without the slightest delay. Still, all of us hesitated for a moment before Wakka gathered his courage and swam madly towards the archway. I expected, and maybe hoped a little, he would slam into it headfirst, but he slipped through it as easily as the blitzball.

After Wakka passed through with no problem, Tidus waved at me to follow him as he swam forwards. I hesitated for a moment before pushing myself towards the archway just as Tidus disappeared.

As it turns out, Tidus and Wakka aren’t very comfortable to land on. 

“Oof!” all of us echoed as I landed on top of Tidus’ back, who apparently had landed on Wakka. For a brief moment after realizing there was air instead of water, I took in a few breaths to ease the burn before scrambling off the dogpile of blitzball players, landing flat on my back and staring up at the mosaic tiled concave ceiling. 

The Prayer of the Summoners filled the chamber with its haunting beauty, sung with the noticeable accent of a Hypello. Which only seemed right as I studied the murals in the ceiling, depicting some of the legends related to Leviathan and the Hypello. 

It wasn’t long before an appreciative whistle from Tidus echoed in the large room as he looked about the room. Curious, and finally able to take a breath without it aching, I sat up and saw the water-influenced architecture--all which was very beautiful-- but what caught my eye was the familiar stone doorway that led to the Chamber of the Fayth. 

“We did it!” I hollered as I jumped up, a wide grin on my face. “We found the Chamber of the Fayth!”

“You mean my blitzball found it,” Wakka injected. I briefly stuck my tongue out at him. However, instead of his usual not-pleased look, he was smiling himself, also relieved that we had finally found it. 

“I’ll go get Yuna!” Tidus said, picking up Wakka’s ball off the stone floor and jumping head first into the shimmery blue portal. I started cackling when Wakka spluttered, his face slowly turning red. 

❖❀❖

When Tidus brought the sopping wet but amazed Summoner through the portal almost an hour later, I was still hollering at the top of my lungs while Wakka kept me restrained by sitting on my back. 

"YUNA!" I complained loudly as I thrashed my arms and legs. "TELL YOUR GUARDIAN TO GET OFF ME!"

"Not until you say you're sorry, ya?" Wakka's wide grin was evident in his voice. 

"I ALREADY SAID I WAS SORRY FOR TAKING YOUR STUPID BALL!"

"Ya, but you never apologized for giving Tidus the same idea."

I was too busy dealing with my own anger to see the bewildered look on both Summoner and Guardians face. "Sir...Wakka?" Yuna hesitantly started.

“I gotta teach this pipsqueak some manners, ya?” Wakka excused. “If she’s gonna be Lady Belgemine’s Guardian, she needs to learn a few things.”

“HEY!” I yelled, taking a great offence at his words. “I am a great Guardian!” Okay, so I wasn’t exactly perfect, and yeah I had no clue about things that was basic knowledge to everyone else. But I was _still_ a good Guardian!

“You don’t get along with your Summoner. You don’t watch her like you should, and you run your mouth _way_ too much. You have a lot to learn if you want to be a great Guardian. You were a warrior monk, ya? You should have been taught respect. If you keep up like this, both you and Lady Belgemine will end either in trouble, or in the Farplane.” 

The Hypello’s singing filled the silence that lingered while my mind reeled as I tried to come up with an argument. I _was_ a good Guardian. I was! But...he had a point. I guess. “Okay, okay, okay! I’m sorry about giving Tidus the idea! And...maybe I need to be more careful. NOW WILL YOU GET OFF MY BACK?!”

Either he was satisfied with my apology or he had noticed Yuna’s worried expression. Either way the big lug stood up, and to my surprise he even held out a hand to help me up. I grudgingly accepted his hand, avoiding everyone’s eyes as I studied the glass tiles that covered the walls. His word had stung me more than I really wanted to admit.

“Lady Terra?” Yuna’s soft words broke the heavy silence. I looked back to the Summoner, who appeared apologetic. 

“Through there is Leviathan’s Fayth,” I gestured half-heartedly to the stone door on the far side of the room. I gave a slight smile at Yuna. I wasn’t mad, I was just...hurt. She returned with her own sad smile before she nodded her head. All three of us watched as the Summoner gathered her courage and walked towards the stone door that slid open with a moment’s pause. 

The singing was the only sound as the three of us found places to wait for her return. 

❖❀❖

The sun was setting when we finally reached the north shore of the Moonflow. Belgemine, Lulu, Kimahri, and Auron waiting for us, along with a crowd that had gathered beneath the depot’s overhang. 

There was a quiet whispering among the crowd as well as curious looks before a Hypello stepped forward. “Ish it true?” he asked while several more began to gather around Yuna as soon as the young Summoner stepped off the platform. “Yoush hash founds Levithan?”

Yuna nodded her head, “Yes... well, Lady Terra found Leviathan.” I ducked behind Tidus, not liking to be the center of that kind of attention. Small groups were okay, but the adoration in their eyes sent chills down my back for some reason.

“Show us!” Someone called out, and soon the crowd was all but chanting it. “Show us! Show us!”

Yuna stepped away from the crowd, and I snuck away while their attention focused solely on her. I found a place away from the throng of people, but still close enough to watch as Yuna twirled her staff, a stream of water following it as cyphers lit the air. The water grew larger as it climbed away from the Summoner, taking shape of the great serpent before the Aeon roared loudly as water turned into shimmery blue scales. 

“Not bad.” I jumped when Auron suddenly spoke. My heart was pounding as I looked up at the older Guardian that had suddenly appeared next to me.

“How in the world did you sneak up on me?!” I complained, pressing my hand to my chest. “You about gave me a heart attack, Auron!”

His deep chuckle did nothing to calm my heart any as he pulled something out of his coat pocket. “Hold out your hand.” I frowned, but did so slowly, a little wary and confused. “This should safeguard you from any Silence spells,” he said as he dropped another bangle into my outstretched hand. “As well as other things.”

I was completely stunned, and momentarily at a loss for words. The bangle was a bright flower shape,beautiful with a strong feel of magic that was imbued within. I quickly removed the bangle Belgemine had given me at Remiem Temple and placed the new one on my wrist. I admired it for another moment before suddenly closing the distance between us and giving him a tight but short hug.

“Thank you so much!” I squealed, unable to stop the manic grin from forming on my face. “This has got to be the best present ever! Oh man, this is going to be so awesome!” Auron had given me something! Okay, so it was just a piece of armor, but it was something.

Belgemine was going to be _so_ pissed!

I could see a very small hint of a smile behind his high collar, which made my grin even bigger. “Be careful to guard your Summoner, as well as yourself.”

I nodded excitedly, “Yes sir!”


	18. Interlude: Hypello Fayth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Yuna's perspective

I took a last glance at Tidus, Wakka, and Terra before stepping up to the door that lead to the Chamber of the Fayth. The door slid open, the pink petals parting to allow me to pass. The Hymn of the Fayth grew stronger, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw the Fayth standing before me. I had always been taught that the Fayth were Human. No other species had ever become a Fayth.

Yet, there before me was a wizened Hypello, dressed in elaborate silk robes. I quickly fell to my knees and offered a Prayer. “It has been very long time since vistors come,” the Fayth spoke, the usual lisp of his species somewhat subdued. “I thank you, Summoner, for coming.”

“It is an honor,” I greeted in return, meaning every word. “I have came to ask for your help to receive the Aeon Leviathan.”

The ghost of the Fayth nodded his head, “I know why you came. But do you know why you journey? Tell me why you became Summoner.”

I remembered the long conversation I had with the Fayth of Valefor about why I had chose this path. At that time, I wasn’t telling the young girl what my decision was. She was telling me what hardships and sacrifices I would face, and asking if I could make the sacrifices need to succeed. That to be a successful Summoner and to defeat Sin, I would need not only Aeons, but a determination stronger than Sin itself. That I would need to give up everything, including my own life.

“I became a Summoner to defeat Sin,” I stated firmly. “I want to bring the Calm once more to Spira.” Like my father before me, and all the other High Summoners. I just wanted peace for everyone, no matter the consequences.

The Fayth nodded his head once more, his faint scowl lightening some. “Good. Good. But what would you give for Sin’s death?”

I frowned; I had already made the pledge to give up everything. But I still me his eyes, my hand placed over my heart. “I will gladly give my life to defeat Sin.”

“Good. How will you defeat Sin?”

“I... will journey to Zanarkand and Pray for the Final Aeon,” I explained, slightly confused. Not even Valefor had asked how. After all, there was only the one path. Only the Final Aeon could defeat Sin. 

The Fayth had a strange expression on his face as he shook his head slowly. “That will not defeat Sin, my child. It will only hinder him for a few years.” His words shook me to the core, making my guts turn. My Final Aeon wouldn’t defeat it? He knew this already? 

But, if it meant a few years of peace, it would still be worth it.

“What if I told you there was a way to defeat Sin forever?” There was a sharp glint in his yellow eyes as I met them. “Would you follow that path instead?”

“Yes!” I swore fervently. “I would do _anything_ to rid Spira of Sin forever!”

The Hypello tipped his head slightly, still seemingly appraising me. “Would you still swear to if it meant abandoning Yevon’s teachings? Going against all that they have taught you? To learn the truth, as horrible as it is, and accept it?”

I was silent, stunned by his words. Abandon Yevon’s teachings? “But...Yevon’s Teachings are the only way...” I whispered more to myself than to him. How-was it possible? Was this a test? Which one was I supposed to chose? Yevon, or freedom from Sin? It seemed like sacrilege to even think of such a thing, yet in my heart I knew what my choice would be.

“There are many things that have been hidden from Spira,” the Fayth said cryptically. “So many things forgotten, concealed, and forbidden. To truly defeat Sin, you must uncover the lies that surround Yevon.”

I hesitated for a moment before nodding my head. “I-I would. I would do anything to rid Spira of Sin. Even...even if it means going against Yevon.”

The Fayth smiled. “Very well. We accept your pledge, Summoner Yuna, and we will hold you to it.”

I bowed my head as he floated closer, and took a gasp of air as I felt his spirit join mine. There were no words to describe the sensation. Power rushed through my veins, like a serpent slithering through them until it settled within my soul. Bright yet deep, like the ocean on a clear day. 

Leviathan was now mine to control.


End file.
